Final Fantasy X Novelization
by Baby You're My Immortal
Summary: 1000 years ago, an evil entity ravaged a never-sleeping city, sending the star player of the Zanarkand Abes a millennium into the future to meet a radiant summoner and her guardians who he journeys with on a pilgrimage to defeat the beast that destroyed his home town. Meanwhile, he learns horrific truths about his past and grows feelings for the summoner that he guards
1. Zanarkand

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

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_** I have edited and reposted this chapter.**_

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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

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_**So, this is my first time trying to write a Novelization of a video game, so forgive me if this sucks. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the first chapter and please drop off a review! Thanks for reading!**_

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_**Preface**_

Dusk set among the fellowship as each one stared into the crackling fire that endured the task of illuminating the night sky that was darkening as each moment dragged on. Everything was unmoving aside from the flames of the fire that seemed to dance in front of the Blitzer's twinkling, blue eyes. The only disturbance in the tranquil state that was the Zanarkand Ruins was the breeze that flowed past them, chilling their bones and ruffling anything that was feather-light. Yuna's hair.

As glad as Tidus may have been to be back in the place that had once been his home, he couldn't help but feel the sorrow that was the epitome of this group, the pain in knowing that this place couldn't possibly be the same as when he had last seen it. This dastardly place could not be considered as his home anymore. There was no sign of the vitality and the vibrancy that formed the very infrastructure of Zanarkand. Ever since that moment in the Al Bhed home, Tidus had been wary and distant, knowing that there would come a time when he would have to say goodbye to Yuna. He always thought he would have to depart from her once he was about to travel back home, but he never thought he would be bidding farewell under the circumstances of her death. The thought was too heart-wrenching to even begin to comprehend.

And just like that, Tidus lost his sanity like he had many times during the pilgrimage. It was the moment went his anger and frustration on Spira got too much for him to handle. It was those times where Tidus had to leave the group and walk on his own for a while…anything to clear his head. It was those times where he had to take a moment to admire the beauty that was strewn around him. Anything to get him to return to normalcy.

He stepped away from the group, intent on remembering all that was loved to him, so he could continue on the last part of their journey, but the look that Yuna wore on her face made him stop for a moment. She was already so far gone into sadness that it would make her break if Tidus left her. She could no longer smile that famous smile to keep the rest of Spira content…keep them in the shadows of what she was really feeling, yet she was willing to die trying.

He laid his hand on her shoulder, feeling the distress seep from her skin, through his leather glove and into him. If she felt half as bad as this on her pilgrimage, it was a wonder she had managed to make it through without breaking down. Even this was making Tidus struggle to stand. She looked at him for only a moment, her cheek gracing his glove and her eyes boring into his before he withdrew it from her reach and stalked away. The smallest touch from her could make Tidus feel as though he was going to scream in agony and restraint.

Tidus walked up the hill-bank, his heart thumping hard in his chest at the prospect of seeing Zanarkand…his home again. He looked out to his surroundings, the sight making him catch his breath. It looked so different, yet exactly how he remembered it. No sky high buildings graced the town and no bridges stayed standing. Water seeped through to form a pool at his feet, probably still left over from the destruction of this town. What had happened to this place? He knew too well what had gone down during his first encounter with Sin. Only the air he was breathing was the same…but it still felt so familiar. He had stood here so many times as a little boy, yet now the memories were destroyed along with Tidus' soul.

_Listen to my story…this may be our last chance._

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_**Chapter One: Zanarkand**_

The change between the two scenes was astounding. One thousand years ago, Zanarkand was upbeat, vibrant and alive with Blitzball fans gathering to watch the big game in memory of Jecht. So many people stood with looks of awe taking place on their face as they clutched a Blitzball tightly in their arms in the hope of getting the star player of the Zanarkand Abes to sign it…even just a glimpse of that blonde-haired, tanned man would send them into a fit of hysteria.

Just as Tidus stepped out into view to make his way to the Blitzball arena, the gang of fans grew more and more excited, the noise level rising as they all screamed at him to sign their Blitzball. This was the moment that most players looked forward to; the attention from the adorning fans. Truth be told, this was one of the best parts for Tidus too. He enjoyed the looks that he got off men who wanted to be him and the way that women swooned around him whenever they saw him in the flesh. Essential? No. Appreciated? Hell yes!

A certain duo stuck out to Tidus. Lustrous, cropped brown hair framed the prettier girl's pale face, but the colours she wore were exuberating. Bright pink cardigan with brown shorts ending mid-thigh, to show off her even paler legs. Any man would have been lucky to have this lady on their arm.

"Can I have your autograph?" She asked, her voice brittle as she held out her Blitzball to him ready to sign. Everyone knew that the teenage sensation couldn't refuse a fan.

"Of course" He laughed, taking the pen from her hand, so he could scrawl his signature on it. He basked in the look of happiness that flushed over her face once he gave her the ball back. She had gotten her Blitzball signed by the star player of the team from her hometown. Tidus imagined that she was walking on air right now.

"Good luck tonight" Her friend chipped in. She was the complete opposite of her frail buddy. Dark skin with fiery red hair that hung to her shoulders. She was covered up in a purple dress that stuck to her skin in an effort to accent her curves. She wasn't necessarily beautiful, but every man there knew that she was pulling off a provocative, sexy look.

"Nothing to worry about" Tidus assured, using a deep voice that made all the ladies go crazy, pulling off a twirl of the blue ball that he would only perform for those that he had a special interest in. "Oh, if I score a goal…I'll, uh, do this" He waved his hands in the air which got the attention of all those around him. "That will mean it was for you, okay?" They giggled loudly as they pressed their Blitzball's to them. They were fan girls and everyone around them knew it. "What seat?"

"East-block in the front row" The pale girl answered, covering her face with the ball to hide the blush that was rising to her cheeks.

"Fifth from the right" Her friend squawked, making a bolder move by swinging the Blitzball by her side in spite of her blush.

"Got it" Tidus commented, growing tired of the same people, wanting to meet some new fans. As he turned around, a trio of young boys surrounded him. They reminded him of how he used to be when he was only a young lad.

"Can you sign this?" The red-headed boy asked, almost jumping up and down on the spot with excitement from meeting his hero for the first time.

"No prob" Tidus answered, using his deep voice that made people transfixed with awe as he took the Blitzball from the kid and scrawled his signature over it.

"Please" The brunette asked with the yellow hat. This one hadn't even given Tidus a chance to answer before pushing it up at him.

"Alrighty" He answered, his voice taking on a gruff tone that would never fail to win the ladies over. Well, in the eyes of others, he was perfect…a Blitzball God some would call him.

"Me, too" The last kid said.

"Take it easy" He laughed, taking the ball from him and signing it. Nothing was better than meeting a few adorning fans. It gave Tidus a sense of belonging in a world that was so fast moving, it made his head spin every day. "Well gotta go, cheer for me!" He then said to the cluster of people surrounding him.

"Two…three" The red-headed boy said before the other followers joined in. "Teach us how to Blitz."

"Hey, I gotta game to play" Tidus declined, never losing sight of the big picture.

"Then teach us after" The one with the yellow hat pressed on, being sure to make sure that his dream would be fulfilled.

"Maybe…tonight…um well" He answered, not putting his heart into it. There was always a cool party after each Blitzball game that Tidus just loved to go to. He didn't want to miss this one.

"You can't tonight" A voice said from behind him. It was a boy who wore a purple hood way over his eyes. His fashion sense was so…strange. No one paid this boy any attention, but Tidus found himself hanging onto every word the kid said. What was with the way he was drawn to him? With one last look over his shoulder, Tidus turned back to the youngsters and bit down on his lips hard. He didn't want to put the kids' dreams on hold.

"I mean…tomorrow" Tidus corrected. He knew only too well that he would probably never see these kids again in his life, but it was better than crushing them. God, he was beginning to feel like he was turning into his old man…too cocky for his own good.

"Promise?" The dark skinned child asked as he reached his hand up to Tidus as though he was going to start tugging at his clothes. He was probably the most eager out of the band of Blitzball fans, yet he was too polite to say anything beforehand.

"Promise!" Tidus cheered as he gave each one a broad grin. The three young boys then took a step back and performed the Blitzball sign for victory. Although it only seemed like something small, Tidus was taken aback. It was an honourable sentiment to have someone do something like that to you…it was the first time someone so young had done it. It was a privilege.

As the group finally dispersed, Tidus managed to make his way over the Zanarkand overpass and onto the road that led directly to the overbearing, towering stadium that was the epicentre of Zanarkand. Tidus took one last glance at his surroundings. He took it all in. Neon lights that flashed down on him in every colour of the rainbow and the crowd that was still suffocating him, the gigantic, strange buildings that didn't look like they should be standing, yet somehow they managed to look graceful in their place, and the streaming waterfalls that cascaded from almost every building, casting Zanarkand in a heavenly glow as a constant rush greeted every civilians ears. Oh, this was a numinous experience in its finest. Tidus couldn't help but have the feeling that there was something in this world that was bigger and greater than him. He felt as though he was simply a pawn in the masterpiece that was Zanarkand.

As Tidus departed from the group who could go no further, he finally got a moment of relaxation and reflection…although he soon found out that that was not what he had wanted at all. He soon found himself staring at a large screen with an image of his old man staring down at him. It was as though anywhere Tidus went, his old man was always there to survey him and was always going to be bigger than him…always going to be better than him.

"Humph" Tidus sneered rather stubbornly before snapping his head to one side and stalking off. Anything about that preposterous man put Tidus in a foul mood instantly. As soon as he heard the voice of the overhead speaker that was being listened to by the rest of Zanarkand, he hurried off. He didn't want to hear a word of praise that anyone had for that man.

'_I was in a coffee shop, running away from home when I heard the news. Our hero, Jecht, gone. Vanished into thin air! My dad must have been his biggest fan, I knew how sad he'd be. Heck, we all were that day. "Zanar," I says to myself. "What are you thinking?" I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much. Woah…didn't mean to reminisce, folks. Anyway…ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup Tournament is today! The two teams that have won through to the finals are…of course: the Abes from A-East and the Duggles from C-South. I know there's a lot of people out there today to see the star of the Abes! In just one year, he's become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood, and the new hope of Blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!'_

As soon as the irritating broadcast was over, Tidus let out a sigh of relief. He didn't think he could take much more of all the praise these strangers were offering to Jecht. It made Tidus want to stand from the rooftops and scream what his father was really like… a good for nothing drunk who didn't care in the slightest about his son and barely even his mother.

Once Tidus finally reached the stadium, he was ambushed again by fans that were desperate to get one last grip of his clothes or anything that they could get their hands on. It didn't matter if they were choking him or pulling clumps of his hair out…as long as they got to touch him it didn't matter how much pain they put him through.

"Make way! Make way!" Tidus ordered as he fought to get to the front of the crowd before being swallowed whole by the pack of vultures that looked ready to tear pounds of flesh from him to take home as a souvenir. "Coming through, sorry!" Anything to at least sound slightly polite. It was hard to do when your legs felt as though they were getting stamped on repeatedly. He finally found an opening and he ran for it…he took no more than three steps before they pounced on him again. At this rate, there wasn't even going to be a Blitzball game. "Hey, I'm gonna be late!" Another two steps he made and they clutched at him again. "Hey, let go of me!" He finally made it to the safety of the doors and managed to turn around long enough to give the fans a wave before disappearing into the stadium.

As soon as he was inside, he was ushered around by managers and other team mates. The group outside had made him considerably late. His apologies couldn't even be heard past the roar of orders and commands that were being screamed at to him and those around him. He was soon pushed into the water tunnel form that each player had to sit in before the game began. His allotted space was right in the very centre, however he had his space that no one else could see. It was his privacy moment before every game.

The cool water sloshed up his boots and pooled around his legs. Tidus gathered some up in his hands and washed his face before leaning back in a tranquil state and closing his eyes. This was how he wanted to live all the time. The water was practically his best friend. He could feel the suspension building up within him. When was this game going to start?

The music soon started and the sphere unfurled to show every player that had been hidden in the depths. Bright lights shone from the ball of water that was soon to become a sphere that the players would commence with the Blitzball tournament. As Tidus stood up, a gust of wind shot through him, almost knocking him off his feet. _Ah, this feels so good, _he thought. He could still see fans barging in from outside as the sphere filled up with freezing water. The ones that had found their seats were bouncing up and down on the spot and screaming until their lungs were ready to burst.

With a final explosion, the sphere filled up with water, sending jets of wind off to everyone in the crowd. Tidus took a step back and let the wind run through him, once again almost knocking him off his feet.

Although everyone on the inside of this stadium was high on the atmosphere that was being fed to them, they had no way of knowing what was commencing on them.

On the outskirts of the stadium, everything was too calm for Zanarkand. For a city that never sleeps, it was sure doing a whole lot of resting outside. It was at that moment that it came. A huge shadow cast over Zanarkand as a huge wave crept closer and closer to the vitality that made Zanarkand so amazing. It was a brick wall of water that was going to send absolutely everyone to a painful death no matter how hard they tried to get out. One thing was for sure: Everyone's lives were going to be obliterated tonight…they would all be wiped out.

Only a few of the civilians saw this coming before the rest who were watching the Blitzball match proceed, watching every pass with utter precision that they weren't even away that their deaths were creeping up on them. They weren't even given a chance to defend themselves.

Tidus was just as clueless as the rest…just as sure to be heading for death as the others were. He gave himself a moment of pride as he crossed his arms over his chest and gave that movie-star grin to the fans before it all started going downhill.

This huge orbital expanse of water seemed to absorb anything that it passed…swallowed it whole as though it was just a piece of meat on a plate…drawing any particle of water it could find to it, forever growing stronger.

Tidus shot out of the sphere of water that the teams were playing in and got ready to perform an amazing shot that should have wowed the crowd…had he been given the chance to do it. Just as he was in the middle of the flip, the powerful orb convulsed and shot out huge jets of water straight at him and everyone else around him.

These jets of water slashed and sliced absolutely everything that they came across. Perhaps it was the fact that Tidus had been in the air when it happened that had saved him. No, it had to be have been more than that. Fate.

Explosions of water knocked down everything that it came across. Memorable statues and buildings, bridges and people. Overhead, sirens blared and blared, warning everyone to get out…but there was nowhere to go. No one had ever believed that an attack like this would ever have been probable.

The star of the Zanarkand Abes was launched even further into the air before being pushed straight back down by a force that was unfathomable. His hand gripped tightly on a smooth surface, probably one of the few infrastructures that were still intact. He couldn't tell what it was he was holding onto as his eyes were clamped tightly shut. He couldn't bring himself to open them, couldn't bring himself to face the reality. If he looked down, he was sure to plummet to his death. He would soon end up flattened on whatever was beneath him. He swung from side to side as he clawed at the metal that was saving his life. Just one slip and he would be dead. He finally gripped the metal with both of his hands, but only for him to lose his grip completely. He was swept downwards, falling at a speed that made his head spin. He was going to die. He was going to die and it was going to be very, very painful.

He smashed down on cold, hard concrete. The pain that flashed through him was immense, made him feel as though he had paralysed himself with the impact. His vision blurred and bile rose in his throat. Desperately, he tried to scramble up, but his arms were too weak to support his weight. His elbows buckled and he slammed straight back down. That second impact was too much for him to handle. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he blacked out.

For a moment in time, there was nothing but blackness. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break the surface…couldn't wake himself up.

Finally, his eyes fluttered open once more after a civilian fell over his limp body. He pushed himself up off the ground and stumbled shakily to his feet. He gripped his head and pulled at his hair as his vision blurred once more. As soon as it all swam back into focus, he set off in a run. He wasn't about to stand still long enough for his death to meet him.

He was running as fast as his head and legs would allow him when something familiar flashed in the corner of his eyes. No, this wasn't happening…he wasn't lucky enough for this to happen. No way could this be possible.

"Auron!" Tidus shouted as he ran over to the familiar figure clad in red robes with jet black glasses that covered his eyes. His hair was sleeked back in messy spikes. He was practically a father-figure to Tidus…more than his old man could ever be. "What are you doing here?" It had been so long since Tidus had seen this man. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten about the hell that was going on around the two.

"I was waiting for you" Auron muttered solemnly. Ah, this was the Auron that Tidus had grown up with. The Auron that had always been so mysterious and reserved that Tidus could never be sure what was going on in that head of his.

"What are you talking about?" Tidus questioned as Auron simply stalked away, dodging the terrified civilians who were running for their lives…still unaware of what the identity of the attacker was. Tidus still followed the man, even though his secrecy annoyed the hell out of him.

Tidus soon found himself on the overpass once again, being pushed out of the way by townspeople all desperate to get out of this place before they found themselves in a watery grave. It was amazing how easily they had forgotten about the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. They simply pushed him out of the way as though he was a ragdoll. No one cared for him anymore...not when their own lives were on the line.

Tidus soon stopped once he felt a presence not moving behind him. No one in their right mind would stop here…not when something was on a mission to destroy every last one of them. As soon as Tidus' eyes fell on the boy with purple hood, everything around him froze. No more people were running past him. There was no more screaming to deafen his ears. For just a few moments, Tidus felt calm and peaceful…he felt relaxed.

"Huh?" Tidus grunted as he looked around at everything that was going on. It didn't take long for confusion to sweep through him. Who was this child?

"It begins" He whispered. Tidus looked back with even more confusion marring his usually calm voice.

"What?" He questioned as he stepped ever closer to the boy.

"Don't cry" He commanded. Tidus was growing even more confused. How did this child know how he was feeling? How did this child manage to sound so much like his old man, but in a good way? Why was this child not running away from whatever it was that was attacking Zanarkand?

Just as Tidus stepped even closer to the point that he was towering over him, he disappeared and Spira returned to normal. There was no more time freeze and the hysteria began again and Tidus' head felt like it was going to explode once more.

After glancing around for the boy for a few more moments, Tidus exclaimed, "What the…?" After a few more moments of confusion, Tidus left it down to the fact that he was getting scared and stressed…he had imagined the little boy. Yes, that had to be the explanation for it. Things like that didn't happen in Zanarkand. Then again…attacks like this didn't happen on Zanarkand, but that had been a lie.

Tidus soon remembered what it was that he was supposed to be doing. He launched after Auron who was still pressing on further and further. Why was he even going this way? This was only going to get the pair into more trouble. "Hey, not this way!" Tidus shouted as he keeled over and took deep breaths. All of this running away from whatever monster it was attacking the town had really taken it out of him.

"Look!" Auron muttered, his voice taking on a threatening tone as he looked up at the pitch dark sky that was bruised by dark purple clouds. When Tidus turned to look, his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. Just past the smoking inferno that was probably someone's home was a huge ball of water. It swirled in on itself and crept forward slowly. It was monstrous. It could destroy anything that it wanted in a millisecond. _That _was what was attacking Zanarkand. _That _was what was killing all those civilians. Tidus couldn't believe his eyes. "We called it 'Sin'" _That thing has a name!? _Tidus thought.

"'Sin?'" He asked in disbelief as he finally tore his eyes from the orb of death and turned to look at Auron. Surely if they didn't hurry now, they would be devoured by that deadly water.

Before Tidus' question was answered, the spherical expanse of water curled in on itself and then unfurled at lightning speed, regurgitating a lance shaped object. It flew up high into the sky and then shot downwards, stabbing and lodging itself in place on a building. It wriggled and that was when Tidus realised that this lance shaped object had indeed been alive. Tidus knew too well that this was a fiend…it wasn't going to stop until it had tasted death. It sprayed shell shaped fiends onto the bridge in front of Tidus and Auron. The pair knew that this couldn't be good.

A split second after they had landed, they unfurled and spread their wings, every single one giving a terrible shriek as it stretched. They ambushed Tidus, clawing at his bare skin as their wings flashed like lightning. They bit and chewed at anything they could find as Tidus swatted away at them as though they were merely flies. All of his measly attempts at protecting himself were in vain. It seemed as though nothing could stop these slimy scale like creatures.

As one got too close for his liking, he pushed himself back and fell straight onto the floor clumsily. Why was this happening to him?

"Take it" Auron said as he handed Tidus an object that he never thought he would have to see…let alone use. It was a crimson red sword that had strips of material swinging from the hilt. It was mesmerising…an absolute beauty in the world of weaponry. Even though he could have studied it for hours, Tidus only allowed himself a moment of admiration before he gripped at the handle of the sword and used it as support to clamber up from the ground.

The Blitzer held it high above his head, testing it for weight. It didn't seem too heavy, but suddenly the weight seemed to grow. The sword tilted downwards and he went scrambling after it.

"A gift from Jecht" Auron added.

"My old man?" Tidus questioned in disbelief. Suddenly, the sword wasn't as beautiful as Tidus had previously. As soon as he found out that the sword had been in the hands of Jecht, he held certain distaste for the piece of metal. Even so, this sword could save his life from these fiends. He wouldn't turn his nose up at an opportunity like this just because the sword had been used by a man that he never wanted to think about in his life again.

Tidus tried out a few practice swings, getting ever closer to the birds that looked as though they could peck his eyes out in a second if he allowed them to. They scattered out of the way of the slicing, evil sword that could be their demise.

The sword was still too heavy for the blonde…even though he was clutching hard at the handle and swinging it as hard as possible. He soon went stumbling back onto his back. He didn't believe that he was ever going to be able to kill these enemies.

Despite this, he scrambled up again and stood in a fighting stance, giving the birds his most threatening look. Surely, if he tried hard enough, he would manage this great task entrusted to him by Auron.

"I hope you know how to use it" Auron said, holding his sword over his shoulder as though it was feather-light. It was at the moment that Tidus felt a strange amount of jealousy for the man standing next to him. Tidus gave a deep breath and gave a small nod, not even sure of himself. Well, he would have to pray for the best in this situation. "These ones don't matter. We cut through!" Auron commanded.

Tidus was the first one to make his move. He was way too excited to get into some action that he completely forgot about the fact that he had no clue how to fight or how to use a sword. He simply went for it and hoped for the best. Luckily, he felt his sword connect with the fiend that he had hit. It created a squelching and snapping sound from the flesh and the bones that he was cutting through. Although he should have felt dreadful for ending a life, he couldn't help but feel proud of his first kill. After all, they had murdered so many of his friends and fans.

They both pushed firmly on and sliced at anything that went at them. It was then that Tidus shut off any of his emotions…his mind simply told him to kill and he did. His arms whirred round and round as he cut and cut anything that tried to claw at him with talons like that of a witch.

As soon as they made it past one set, the lance shaped fiend shot another set at them. They unfurled exactly like the last ones and then began to make their move, teetering closer and closer to the warrior and the Blitzer.

"Don't bother going after all of them" Auron advised. "Cut the ones that matter, and run!" They advanced even further until a path was cleared for them. The two ran as fast as their legs could carry them before the lance fiend shot any more at them.

Just as they thought they were in the all clear, the scuttled to a stop once they caught sight of the lance like fiend that had now detached itself from the building and was now towering over them. The tentacles that were attached firmly to the body swirled around high above it, ready to strike down at any moment that it was under threat.

"Get out of my town!" Tidus screeched as he held his sword high above him again, this time managing to keep his balance. His anger was seeping out of him. How dare this 'Sin' kill all that was loved to him…how dare this 'Sin' ruin his Blitzball match…how dare this 'Sin' ruin his whole life.

"Some can't wait to die!" Auron shouted. Tidus looked at him in surprise…it was the first time he had ever seen him so riled up and angry over something.

More and more Sinscales were launched from the fiend. This was going to be a tough one to crack. At least Tidus had aggression on his side. It didn't take long for Auron to use his Bushido skill. Nothing was better than watching those Sinscales implode in brilliant explosions of orange and yellow light. It was better than a firework display.

At least now Tidus only had to concentrate on the lance like fiend. It looked like it was going to be a hard one even without the Sinscales, but it was possible. The pain that Tidus went through was unimaginable. For a moment, he believed that he was truly facing death right in the face. He believed that this monster was going to suck and drain all the life from him.

A few strikes later, the fiend finally crumpled in on itself and went into immobilization. It no longer posed a threat to the two fighters.

As soon as one threat was forgotten about, Auron thundered off again. With a few curses, Tidus followed reluctantly. Why couldn't he catch a break?

As they were running, Tidus came across the same screen with Jecht presented upon it. It was one of the only things that Sin hadn't destroyed. How come he got to go off punishment free?

"What are you laughing at, old man?" Tidus questioned as he looked at the image with hate flashing in his eyes. "Auron, let's get out of here!" He called, both wanting to be out of the way of danger and to be able to avoid the image of his old man.

For a moment, it didn't look like Auron was listening to a word Tidus was saying before he muttered, "We're expected"

"Huh?" Tidus questioned, wishing he would be allowed to just get out of this place. What more could he possibly go through? "Gimme a break, man!" He demanded, yet he still followed as Auron rushed off. He wasn't about to go through this ordeal on his own with no warrior to defend him.

Almost as soon as they started running, they stumbled upon more Sinscales. The scene was almost identical to the one before, however there were so many more Sinscales than the previous time Tidus had to fight them. As he craned his neck to get a better view, he caught sight of what he could only imagine to be thousands of pods. They stretched on and on for what seemed like miles. There seemed to be no way for the two to get out of this one. They would surely die from exhaustion…or the Sinscales would see to their demise before that.

"That…knock it down" Auron ordered as he gestured to a contraption to the right of them. As soon as Tidus saw it he knew what was going to happen. Auron was going to create an explosion…a huge explosion.

"What?" Tidus screeched as he looked at the clunk of metal again. Surely, they would end up dying during this process.

"Trust me. You'll see" Auron assured. As much as Tidus didn't want to do this, he did because Auron said so. He had a trust in Auron that he could barely even describe himself.

The two sword bearers sliced and sliced at the wires until they came apart and the gas canisters fell to the ground below them. The two were swept from their feet. As Tidus fell, all he could see was the dastardly image of Jecht on the building. It was like he was haunting him.

They soon found their footing and shielded themselves from the remaining debris that was still shooting off in all directions.

Once it was relatively calmer, Auron ordered, "Go!" Tidus didn't need to be told twice. He launched from the bridge. He would have never normally done this, but he was on a high. His mind wasn't thinking properly. At that moment, he would have probably jumped to his death without thinking twice.

He ran as fast as he could, dodging scolding flames as the bridge diminished and sizzled at his very feet. If he stopped or slowed down for just a moment, he would fall with the bridge. He would plummet to his death if he allowed himself to be careless for just one second.

With his last jump, the bridge went up in flames and he escaped closely. His jump hadn't quite been high enough. He found himself in a situation very similar to the one that he was in previously…hanging by just one hand, his legs swinging ferociously. He gripped with his other hand and attempted to pull himself up, but it was no use. He was getting dragged down and he had no way of stopping it.

"Auron!" Tidus screamed once he came into view. He did nothing to help him…simply stood over him and watched as he struggled. _Is he really going to let me fall to my death? _Tidus thought. "Auron!" He tried again. The bridge swayed up and then down again. It wasn't going to last much longer.

"You are sure?" Auron questioned as he gazed up above him. Tidus couldn't fathom who he could be talking to. He then looked back down at Tidus…a grave and regretful look marring his usually heartless face.

Tidus had just started making progress, pushing his arms up further, when Auron began to bend down, stating that 'this was it.' He yanked Tidus up by the collar and held him in front of him as he struggled. "This is your story" he claimed.

Remnants of the town were being sucked past Tidus and into what seemed like a black hole. _What's going to happen to me? What's Auron talking about? _Tidus thought.

"It all begins here" Auron whispered. Even with all the sound of falling buildings, Tidus heard him loud and clear. To Tidus' dismay, Auron was sucked away and the grip on his collar was released. He fell. He fell into the depths of fire…the last anyone could possibly hear was his blood-curdling scream as he scrambled for anything to grip onto.

Everything turned silent. Everything turned black. _Was this what death was like?_

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_**Author's Note: Well? How did you find that? I know it was quite long, but once I started I just couldn't stop writing. I will absolutely be writing another chapter of this and I will hopefully start writing it very soon, although it will take a while for new chapters to be posted because I'm already writing two other stories that are in the process of being put online and there are also two others that I have just started. I'm probably biting off more than I can chew with this, but I just couldn't help myself. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	2. The Submerged Ruins

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

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_**I have edited and reposted this chapter.**_

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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

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_**Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I really enjoyed writing the first chapter because Final Fantasy is such an amazing game! I hope you all think that this chapter competes to the first one. Also, I've added a little part in to the beginning of each chapter. It'll just be a little 'thank you' section to anyone who has reviewed. If you review on the first chapter after I have posted this then there won't be a 'thank you,' but there's always the next chapter XD I saw it in a Fanfiction once and I believe that it is an excellent way to really get across the high appreciation I have for anyone who reviews. Anyway, I've gone on for a while. Enjoy this chapter!**_

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_**THANK YOU:  
**__**  
w1n3t0n**__**: Very first review and it was so nice! Thank you so much for the positive feedback. It really brightened my day. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Erin Primette**__**: Thank you very much for your review! I found it incredibly lovely and I also hope that you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Guest**__**: Thanks for the great review and I'm so glad that my story will give you more enjoyment than the game did for you. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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_**Chapter Two: The Submerged Ruins**_

"Hey!" A cold voice grunted. "HEY!" Impatience was quite clearly a trait of the speaker. It didn't take long for Tidus to recognise the gruff voice…even with his head spinning like crazy.

"My…old man?" He questioned aloud as he squinted his eyes to try and get his vision to stop slipping in and out of focus.

The whole world seemed to be drifting in and out of haziness. One moment Tidus could see perfectly well…the next he couldn't see past two ft. A silence deafened him as he drifted from side to side and bobbed up and down in the icy cold water. Where had everyone gone? The place that he was floating in seemed like Zanarkand, but he couldn't tell for sure. His vision wouldn't stay twenty-twenty for long enough.

The image of his father seemed to flash in front of him. _Great! _Tidus thought. _I'm stuck in a place that I'm not even sure where, yet my old man is still here to mock me._

As soon as Tidus reached the platform, the image of his old man was replaced with one of himself as a seven year old boy. His hair was darker than it was now and his now muscled legs were all knobbly and frail. No wonder his old man used to make fun of how weak he was.

'_I thought about a lot of things…like where I was, what I'd got myself into. I started to feel light-headed…and then sleepy. I think I had a dream. A dream of being alone. I wanted someone…anyone beside me…so I didn't have to feel alone anymore.'_

When Tidus finally awoke, he found himself splayed out in the centre of the remnants of a building that was only just staying afloat in the water that surrounded him. His only company was a bird that was squawking annoyingly in his ears.

"Anybody there?" He called in between heavy breaths. The bird continued to chirp as Tidus sat up on the rocks. "Auron!" When no answer came to him, Tidus grew increasingly worried and more and more frustrated. He threw his head back and gave a loud scream, "Heeey!" Still no answer. The only sound that greeted Tidus' eagerly awaiting ears was the sound of the bird's wings flapping as it took flight and swooped off high into the air. Tidus had somehow managed to lose the only company he had in this place.

It flew high into sky and disappeared inside a dense purple cloud that seemed to obliterate everything. The only light that Tidus had now was the occasional flash of lightning, but that was all it was…a flash. Gone in a second and wouldn't return for a few minutes.

With nothing to lose, Tidus took off swimming into the freezing cold water that threatened to take his life if he stayed in it for too long. Had his might not been too preoccupied with thoughts of Zanarkand he would have probably spend too long thinking about the cold that he had to endure. He would have probably passed out from the pain.

Zanarkand. Just saying the name of his home in his head sent a stab of guilt through his heart. He thought he was having such a tough time in these ruins, but all of his friends and family had died during that attack. That was what having a hard time was…not this.

No matter how many times Tidus told himself that it was all going to be okay, he still kept panicking and panicking. What if no one ever found him? What if he just kept swimming and nothing ever changed? What if he met his demise here?

Everyone knows that that's what happens. Tidus had seen the movies. Tidus knew that something was going to kill him in a painful, sickening way or he was going to starve to death here.

He only stopped the endless swimming when he came to a building that had lost its top but was still standing. At least there would be some form of shelter and it would be dry. Well, as dry as a building can be when it has practically been demolished by water.

Tidus used the last of his willpower to climb up the few steps that led to dry land. It was colder than the water at first, but as soon as Tidus' breathing returned to normal, he found himself beginning to warm up. It may have only been a miniscule temperature change, but Tidus was glad for it anyway.

He continued to explore the ruins that he had found himself on with a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that maybe there could be a way out of this…that maybe he had found his exit. It didn't take much longer for that hope to dwindle away when Tidus realised that the ruins were just that…rubble. There was no way he could find an exit from this hell.

Bracing himself, he stumbled down the steps again and slipped back into the icy cold water. Numbness invaded him for a moment before his muscles began working again and he moved into a slow swim.

He soon came across more remnants of buildings. Succumbing to the temptation of becoming dry again, he hurried onto the ruins of an unknown building. In false hope, he looked around to see if he could see anything that would be useful to him. His eyes soon fell on some writing that had been practically carved deeply into the pillar.

"What do we have here?" As Tidus looked at it, his head began to hurt. How was he ever supposed to understand this? It simply looked like a mass of jumbled up letters slammed together. "Nope, can't read it."

With a resigned sigh, he splashed back into the water again and took off in a faster paced swim now that he was getting used to the conditions he was in.

Finally, he found something that seemed to lead somewhere. A contraption of brick and stone moulded together stood across almost all of the water. From a distance, it seemed as though Tidus would be able to look around without having to get his body soaked and frozen.

He climbed a series of steps before coming to a ramp of stone that didn't look as sturdy enough as he would have liked. If he stayed on this side of the ramp, he would end up coming to a bitter end of starvation. It was a no-brainer to take the ramp.

He soon came across a crossroads. Peering down the ramp that led further down, he gave an exasperated sigh. Dead end. With a look of frustration, he continued forward. Something didn't feel right. He could place his finger on what it was, though. It was almost like when you can feel someone watching you. He stopped for a moment to look down at the water that was glaring up at him.

Before he had a chance to react or even attempt to save himself, something forced the ramp to crumble underneath his very being. His arms flailed out as he instinctively attempted to grab at anything he could to stop himself from falling into the ominous water beneath him, but there was nothing but air and falling stone.

He soon crashed into the water along with the stone and then resurfaced. For a moment, everything was back to calmness again. He gave a mental sigh of relief as he thought about how close that was.

He made his move again. He swam a few feet before stopping again. There was something watching him. He simply couldn't shake that feeling. As soon as that realization hit him, frog like creatures sprung from the water and seemed to dance around him. Tidus wouldn't let that fool him. He knew that if they had been given the chance, they would eat him alive.

Diving into the water, he attempted to swim away from the fiends, but there was no way he was ever going to escape them. They were too hot on his trail to be lost. His sword. He had completely forgotten about the sword that Auron had given him. Perhaps he wasn't left defenceless…perhaps his old man had been good for something.

And just like before, he set himself to work and sliced through anything that came at him. The gigantic sword seemed to cut through almost anything. It tore the fiends apart in a matter of minutes.

Just when he thought he was almost out of the woods, something even greater came crashing through the ruins. It illuminated the dark water that Tidus was stuck in and smashed through anything that got in its way. With a gulp, Tidus looked up to see the creature in greater detail.

It seemed to be made of only weak bones, but it was evident that the monster could crush Tidus in just one second. After all, it had managed to crunch straight through the fiend that Tidus had been struggling beforehand.

Even though the very presence of this creature sent Tidus hurtling every which way, he still raised his sword and mimicked a fighting stance that he had seen in the movies. At that moment, Tidus knew that there would probably be no way out of this. He had just signed his death wish. If only he had at least tried to escape this dastardly end.

A claw scratched him, drawing blood from his arm and chest. The pain that Tidus felt at that moment was like none he had ever felt before. It pulsed and pulsed throughout his body as his arm went dead. Oh, he wanted to at least try and fight for his life. Even with his limp arm, he sliced at the beast in front of him, but he knew that it wouldn't do much good. Another claw came at him. It didn't hurt as much as the last time, but Tidus knew it was because he was becoming numb. He knew that if he didn't get out soon, this was going to be the end.

Despite all of the pain he was in, he took another swing at the monster. Everything stopped for a moment before it came at him. Without even thinking, Tidus scrambled away and desperately tried to escape. He had a few narrow escapes.

The commotion going on underwater was causing stone to drop from the bridge overhead and plummet into the water. Either Tidus was going to be eaten alive, crushed by stone or get out of this alive. He hoped that it would be the latter.

The beast advanced on him again. Before he even had a chance to realise it, his head had broken the surface. His eyes searched desperately for somewhere to hide. In a split second they fell on a small gap in the stone. He doubted that the beast could break through all of that. If he could only get to it in time.

With a final dive, he swam and swam as fast as he could with the monster following him. He could almost feel it gnashing at his legs.

Just when he was almost out of the woods, the monster inhaled and Tidus could feel himself being sucked into its mouth. Just as he thought he was going to go down and be eaten, it exhaled and Tidus went hurtling straight through the gap in the stone.

Everything was dark as Tidus slid into the cave. He fell into the water that was pooling at the entryway along with some pieces of stone that had crumbled in with him. Even though he was safe from his attacker, he still felt uncomfortable…it was still out there.

_I had made it out of the frying pan and into freezer. I thought I was gonna die in this place._

After his moment of gathering his thoughts and getting his bearings, he pushed himself up from the stone cold floor. There had to be something here that could help him…there just has to be.

He disappeared into a corridor that was dripping with cold water and reeked of rancid moss and damp. Tidus tried to ignore the smell, but it all piled on top of him once he reached the end of the corridor to find that the entryway was almost completely covered in large blocks of stone and rubble.

Well, all those years of training to be a Blitzball player had to come in useful for him now. He pushed against the menacing rocks and shoved them out of the way before he could squeeze through.

The room he now found himself in was breathtakingly beautiful in a weird way. It was so damaged and broken, but the water that poured down from higher levels made it look majestic.

Majestic could still be scary. This place could very well be Tidus' tomb and that was a thought that had been haunting his mind since he first stepped foot in this place.

"Cold…" He shivered as he wrapped his arms tightly around his chest in an effort to keep himself warm, although it was hopeless. He blew into his hands and, to no surprise, he could see his breath like smoke. "Need fire…" His mind was barely working. He could only think of basic commands and needs.

If he could just find some flint and tinder, he could start a fire. He knew it would be possible. Scrambling around, it didn't take long to find the materials that he needed to start a fire. The only problem was that he barely even knew how to start a fire. He had seen his mother doing it whenever they went camping and, of course, he had seen it in the movies. Yes, that was pretty much all he had to refer back to.

Well, all he could do was try. He bent down over the remnants of the fire and attempted to restore some vitality with the tinder stones. For a while, all that happened was little sparks came spiting from the friction. Tidus began to think this was a lost hope before it sprung to life and the flames gave a little dance. Almost immediately, he felt more warmth seep into him.

The fire stopped the place from looking as creepy. It sent orange embers flickering across the stone walls that seemed to make the place look at least a little cosier than it had beforehand.

Before long, he sprawled out on the hard floor that seemed ever so comfortable compared to everything that he had just been through. He stared up at the ceiling, his eyes falling on the waterfall. If only he had the time and the energy to admire it for longer. That was a lie. Oh, he had the time. He had all the time in the world. It didn't look like anyone was going to be rescuing him any time soon.

"I need food!" He whined as his stomach gave a low rumble. He didn't know how long it had been since he had last eaten. It was before he met those fans. Oh, he would give anything to be signing their Blitzball again. Anything to be out of this godforsaken land.

Despite his raging hunger, his eyelids slipped shut and his body began to feel lighter and lighter before his consciousness slipped away from him.

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He found himself back in Zanarkand…back in his home. But he knew that this good feeling that bubbled up inside of him wasn't going to stay for long.

"What do you want?" Tidus complained as he crossed his arms over the back of his head, taking on that bad boy attitude that he had whenever he was around someone that was trying to highlight his bad points. It simply came naturally. It was his defence mechanism against anything bad that was ever said about him. All he had to do was act like he didn't care…maybe then that would become true.

"It was a bad call" Auron stated, using that ever so calm voice that Tidus hated more than being shouted at. It was the disappointment that niggled away at him. That was something he would never be able to let go. "Your team lost because of you." Tidus knew that already! He didn't need Auron reminding him!

"You came to say that!?" Tidus questioned, acting as though it was something he didn't need to hear…something he wasn't bothered about hearing. Like it was something he simply didn't care about.

"It's been…ten years" Auron reminded. Auron knew! Auron was insightful. Of course he knew. Tidus gave a breath as he thought about what had happened ten years ago. That was when his life spiralled out of control. "I thought you'd be crying" And just like that, the bad boy attitude came back.

"Who? Me?" Tidus asked as though the idea of him crying was preposterous. As though he had never cried before in his life.

"You cried" A voice said from behind him. It was the same boy with the purple hood. Why was he always there whenever you didn't want him to be!? Tidus simply ignored the statement as he turned to glare at the boy.

With that glare, the dream ended and Tidus slipped back into reality.

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He sat up with his legs drawn to his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around him. He looked into the fire that was dying out as the cold attacked him again. How long had he been asleep? How long had he been lying there…almost freezing to death? The feeling of something watching him returned.

With a quick jerk, he checked around him. Nothing was there. He wasn't about to let his guard go down and have the same thing happen to him like before.

The fire soon grabbed his attention again as it gave one last flicker before burning out.

"Hey…wait! Wait! Don't go out on me!" He urged as he scrambled closer to it in the hope that there would be something he could do to stop it from dying. "Just hold on! I'll get more wood" He assured as though talking to a child that was on the verge of death. That was how deeply he needed this fire to stay alive himself.

Just as he started running, he heard a loud crash. Springing around, his eyes fell on a being of evil. He had led his guard down with the fear of the fire going out. He had been ambushed yet again.

It sprinted across the outskirts of the room, its pincers clawing at the stone to keep its balance. Once it had circled the room twice, it sprang down and landed just before Tidus, crunching the floor underneath him and sending him hurtling into a corner before attacking. How had he managed to get himself into this situation again?

"Gimme a break!" He shouted as he wielded the sword by his side. He hoped he would never have to use it again after this. He sliced through the monster before it went at him. With stealth that he didn't know he possessed he lurched backwards and missed the pincers that could end in his life in a heartbeat by an inch. Maybe he was getting used to this fighting lark.

He cut through the monster again and again, but it didn't even seem to be making a difference. The beast's attacks on him were incessant and they were sure to kill him soon.

Before he even knew what was happening, the doors to his side crashed open with a loud bang and the shards came skidding at him. He put a hand up to protect his face from the sharp stone.

Once he had uncovered his face, his eyes fell on a squad of men that covered their faces with strange masks and queer goggles. They held rifles close to them and aimed them at Tidus…or was it the monster? He just couldn't figure it out anymore.

A girl stepped out from the group. She was dressed almost exactly the same as the men, but in a more feminine style with her blonde hair up. She stepped forward again and beckoned for Tidus as she stood by his side and took on a stance similar to the Blitzer's.

"You on my side?" Tidus questioned, not able to believe his luck. "Cool!" The girl didn't answer Tidus, but instead pulled something out of her pocket and threw it at the monster. As soon as it made contact, it exploded and set fire to parts of it. Wow, this girl was packing some serious heat. He had never seen a grenade actually being thrown. He only had his imagination and yes…the movies. What he had seen in his life was nothing compared to what it was actually like in reality. As soon as the grenade exploded, Tidus felt as though he could feel the impact running through his veins and seeping through his skin. And sadly, he loved that feeling.

Tidus jumped forward and cut at it again, but it was nothing compared to what Blondie could do. The two only took a few attacks that didn't hurt as much as they had thought. With a final slice, the monster crumpled onto the floor and seemed to cave in on itself.

For a moment, Tidus didn't believe that that was the end. He had the strangest feeling that more would come at him. When nothing seemed to happen, he allowed himself a moment of victory and moved the sword around in a way that made it seem as though it was as light as a feather.

Once he finished, Blondie pulled off her goggles and stared intently into his eyes. His eyes widened at her. She was so young! Surely she shouldn't be doing something like this at that age.

Regardless, he sunk down to his knees and gave a loud sigh. "Phew! That was close" Blondie looked around as Tidus felt a fist grab his hair and pull him up from his knees. "Hey, let me go!" He demanded as he scrambled to get away from their grip. How had these people turned on him so quickly? Their weapons were pointed at him and Tidus started to panic. Was this really going to happen? Was he really going to get through all of these fiends and then be brought down by people that he assumed were his allies? This was not fair!

"Fryd ec drec?" The man questioned as his companions pulled more at his hair. The blinding pain of it all wasn't enough to stop Tidus' confusion. What the hell was he even saying?

The one to the side that was digging the rifle right into his head offered up a suggestion, but Tidus had no clue what it could have been. "Y veaht eh risyh teckieca!" Whatever it was, it didn't sound like it was in Tidus' defence.

"Oac, ed ec cu!" The third chipped in. Tidus wished he could tell what they were saying, so he would least have a chance to defend himself.

"Fa gemm ed?" The first one asked as he whipped out a knife and held it closely to Tidus' throat. With a gulp, he began to struggle again. It may not be the life that he had expected, but he sure as hell did not want to die.

"Fyed" Blondie shouted as she rushed over to Tidus and the group. He had a feeling that she was in support for his life. After all, she had helped him kill that monster. He had never been so grateful in all of his life. "Fryd ev ed ec y risyh?"

"Drao yna ymm dra cysa eh taydr" The man wielding the knife argued. Would they stop bargaining over Tidus' life!?

"E vunpet ed." she replied with a firm tone as she took a threatening step forward. "Fa pnehk ed fedr ic." She took another step forward and leaned into Tidus. What the hell was she doing!? "Cunno" She mumbled. Before Tidus even had a chance to ask what she was doing, he felt a sharp thud on the back of his head. With a strangled cry, he fell to his knees and collapsed onto the floor. Rikku and the others swam in and out of focus before he lost consciousness completely.

* * *

The sound of ocean filled his ears as he woke up. Was he back home? The lights that flashed around him signified that he was, but he couldn't allow himself to believe that for one moment. He wasn't going to get his hopes up…wasn't going to set himself up for failure.

His eyes soon rested on two of the men with the masks and goggles on. No! There was no way that this was Tidus' home. At that moment in time, Tidus wished that he had never experience what it was like to live in Zanarkand. After all, you can't miss what you never had. The aching feeling in Tidus' chest was something that he didn't think was ever going to go away. He just needed to go back home. He needed to see all of those people that he had grown up with.

He had the sense that he wasn't out of the woods yet. No, he may be safe from fiends and the cold, but his captors would sure as hell rip his throat out if he tried anything with them.

It didn't take long for one of the captors to realise that Tidus was awake. As soon as he whipped around, he prodded Tidus in the chest with his bayonet and shouted, "Ced, lybdeja!" Tidus didn't have the faintest clue what he said, but he knew it was a threat. He fell back and stumbled to the ground at the side of the boat as he rubbed at his sore chest.

"Hey, that hurts!" he complained as he glared up at the captor that had pushed him.

"Hu sujehk, rayn?" The man growled as he pointed the bayonet at Tidus once more.

"Woah, okay" Tidus all but soothed once he realised that the captor would shoot if he felt it necessary. The last thing Tidus wanted to do was rile someone up so much that they shot him. Just as the man began to look satisfied, the door to the main parts of the ship opened and out came Blondie and a man that Tidus didn't recognise. He had hardly any hair and his chest was covered in tattoos. He also wore those weird goggles. Man, they didn't look like the kind of people that you wanted to mess with.

The tattooed man ordered something to the others. "Caynlr res" He snarled as he gestured towards Tidus. Blondie came up behind him and hooked her arms under his and thrust upwards. Tidus helped her with his weight for the sheer fact that he quite liked her. The tattooed man suddenly started grunting and patting the air as he stared at Tidus. What the hell was this guy doing?

"Right…whatever" Tidus sighed as he pretended as though he understood what was going on.

"Tu oui hud cbayg?" The man questioned. He grunted again and made more gestures, repeatedly pointing at his hands and head. Tidus' head was beginning to hurt from all of this confusion.

"I said I don't understand" Tidus repeated as he looked again at the man with a confused expression. He had thought it was an innocent and okay thing to say but suddenly, the men were pointing their bayonets at him once more.

"Ehcumahla" They shouted as they thrust their weapons back into Tidus' chest. What was with all the violence?

"Fyed!" Blondie called again. Tidus had the feeling that this girl was going to be saying this a lot to the others now. They all seemed to have this urge to kill him. "He said you can stay if you make yourself useful" Tidus' eyes went wide as he heard the first English for as long as he could remember. She spoke his language!

"You! You understand me?" He asked as his face split into a large grin. Finally, it didn't seem as though it was all that bad. A fist connected with his shoulder that made Tidus slip back into his usual stance. He couldn't get on the nerves of a person with a weapon. That would be suicide.

"Alright! I'll work" He snapped, not too happy at the thought of being put to work like a slave…but he'd do anything to save his life. They finally gave him space once they understood that they had reached an agreement.

As soon as he approached Blondie, she spoke, "We found some ancient ruins right beneath us. It's not active now, but there still should be some power left. We're gonna go down there and activate it and then we should be able to…salvage the big prize."

Tidus had a feeling that he wasn't going to like where this was going. He simply gave a nod and a grunt, knowing that if he refused he would probably be poked with bayonets again.

"Okay!" Rikku cheered as she fist bumped the air. Gosh, she was too cheerful for words. "Let's get to work."

"Roger" Tidus agreed as he jumped onto the railings of the ship and turned to give Blondie a thumps up before diving straight in.

The water was freezing cold, but it was nothing that Tidus couldn't handle. After all, he had been through enough already. Some cold water wasn't about to defeat him. There was no way in hell that he would let it. Sure enough, below him he could see the ruins. He swam further and further down, aware that Blondie was behind him. Aha, looks like there was something that he could do that they weren't as good at.

They ran into piranha's that were hungry for human blood, but Blondie managed to take out almost every single one with a hand grenade. Tidus knew that it was a good idea to have her on his side.

It didn't take too long for the two to reach the outskirts of the ruins. It was like noting that Tidus had ever seen before. It was almost completely rotted away, but it still managed to look menacing and amazing.

As soon as they got inside, the levels of light changed. It was dark in here. Very dark. Tidus had to squint to see whatever was just in front of him. The smell of musk was atrocious.

Tidus soon swam into a podium of sorts with a screen that held writing that he didn't even understand. He didn't know what to do and Blondie was too busy keeping watch in case any enemies came. There was nothing else to do apart from repeatedly knock it and hope that something happened.

The doors in front of him soon slid open and he advanced on. The room he found himself in was a lot larger than the corridor he had previously been stuck in and it was brighter. There was a contraption that he didn't even want to go near in the centre of the room. He swam around it and headed through a small corridor almost identical to the first.

As soon as he made it through, they were ambushed by more piranhas. Blondie jumped straight into action and kept them at bay whereas Tidus was her backup. She was the one packing heat. She was more suitable for this job.

There was another machine in the centre of this room just like before. Tidus was fully prepared to avoid it, but Blondie gestured to it. He had no clue what to do, so he simply pressed buttons and hoped for the best. It seemed to work last time.

The machine lit up like madness and gave strong judders before everything turned a deadly shade of red. Had Tidus done something wrong and broken it? Something told him that if he had, it wasn't going to go down well with the others. Blondie gave him the thumbs up to show him that he had done what was expected of him.

The two swam back through the corridor, but stopped straight in their tracks when the most gigantic squid came hurtling at them. This was not good.

Before Tidus even had a chance to react, Blondie had thrown a grenade at the squid and was pulling out yet another one. Tidus lurched forward and thrashed his sword at the squid. He could feel it cut into a tentacle, but it was too strong for Tidus to slice through with just one hit.

Although the girl had bombarded the monster with grenades, it didn't seem to be making a difference. Surely, it should be dead or at least injured by now…but it seemed as though it was made of steel. It was practically impossible to defeat this monster or at least hurt it…from the outside.

Blondie threw another grenade at the squid and Tidus soon believed that the squid would be destroyed. Nothing can take being hit with two grenades and sliced at with a sword. It just doesn't happen. To no avail, the beast was still alive and the grenade had only made it angry. It was going for blood now.

It thrashed and flapped through the water as it mindlessly fought the two. Tidus knew that it wasn't going to stop until the two were dead. He couldn't let that happen. Hell, this girl was only fifteen? And he was only seventeen. He wasn't going to be brought down by a squid.

Without giving the squid anymore chance to fight, Tidus lunged forward and sliced, but the squid retreated. Tidus had no clue what was going on…until the squid charged and went straight into Blondie. She flipped and whirled backwards before slowly making her way back over to the commotion. She may have been in terrible amounts of pain, but she wasn't about to let Tidus face this thing alone.

Once Tidus looked back at the squid he could almost see the grin that was probably playing on its face. It had the upper hand and it wasn't about to stop yet.

The only thing that Tidus had on his side was pure rage. It was as though the voice of reasoning had completely shut down and he was running on instinct and adrenaline alone.

He lunged forward and jammed his sword straight into the beast's mouth, holding it open. It thrashed around in panic, probably not understanding how Tidus was capable of such a thing. After just a moment, the squid whipped its tentacles around and, although they cut into Tidus deep like the talons of a witch, he stood his ground and kept the sword lodged tightly into its mouth.

He gestured to Blondie, telling her to throw a grenade. She looked at him with wide eyes, already guessing what was going to happen and she did not want him to do it. She would have rather died in this place than do what Tidus was asking her to.

He wanted her to throw the grenade whilst he was keeping the mouth open. Everyone knew that this would be a suicide mission. If he miscalculated even a tiny bit, he would be blown to pieces by the grenade. She didn't want to be the reason of his death.

Even so, he kept on gesturing. With a frustrated sigh, she went into her wet suit and pulled out her very last grenade before unclipping it and sending it hurtling straight at the squid, aimed at its mouth. At the very last minute, Tidus yanked out his sword and went swimming as fast as he could away from the squid. The explosion sounded and Tidus came rolling towards Blondie.

She bent over him and checked to see if he was alive, all thoughts of the squid forgotten. When she saw his face, he was smiling? All he could feel was pride and victory bursting throughout him.

The two looked back over to where the squid had been to see it falling apart…all mangled and twisted. Its blood turned the water around them a sickening shade of red as it drifted further and further away before disappearing.

With the threat gone, the ruins began to look more beautiful with its new light and enemy free state, however Tidus didn't want to see it ever again no matter how beautiful it was. He sped away with Blondie following suit. He wanted back on the ship and he just wanted rest.

His last sight before his head broke the water was of spotlights coming from the ruins, sending the piranhas around it swimming away as fast as they could. At least some good came of it.

"Fa vuiht dra yencreb" Tidus heard one of the men state as he emerged from the water.

"Dra naluntc fana nekrd." The other said. Oh, how Tidus wished he could understand what they were talking about. He felt like such an outsider.

He gave a vigorous shake to dry himself off as best as he could manage before joining the group.

"Huf ruf du tnyk ed ib?" The other seemed to question to himself. They walked through the door that led to the main part of the ship and Tidus followed, assuming that he was one of them. After all, he had helped them out.

"Oui, uidceta!" One of the men snapped as he pushed Tidus' head away from the open door. It didn't take a genius to figure out that that meant that he wasn't allowed in.

"Hey! Hey! I helped out, didn't I?" Tidus protested. It wasn't fair for him to be treated like this. He didn't have anywhere else to go. He just wanted to feel a part of something. Despite his efforts, the door closed on him.

After standing outside the door for what felt like hours, he realised that no one was coming for him and decided to relax for a while. He found a metal container that managed to shield him from the wind and lay down behind it.

"Uhh…hungry" He complained even though there was probably no one listening to him. It just felt good to hear a human voice…even if it was his own.

A foot connected with his shoulder, jolting him from his starved haze. Blondie stood above him with a tray on her hands. Food! She placed it down in front of him and looked at him expectantly.

"Whoa! Right on" Tidus cheered as he scooped the food up in his hands and shoved it down his throat. Food had never tasted so good to him before. Well, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Halfway through the meal, a piece of food got lodged in his throat. Oh man, he didn't want anything to interrupt his eating time…never mind getting choked.

"Hey" She cried, holding in her laughter as she handed him a flask of water and kneeled down by his side like a mother looking after her child. Tidus gave a sigh of pleasure after taking gulps and gulps of the sweet water. "It's cos you eat too fast" _Well, if she hadn't eaten in days, she would be gulping this down too. _

Tidus gave a strangled moan before discarding of the food and taking a step up, stretching his arms out wide and giving a hearty laugh. He couldn't remember ever feeling this good.

"Hey" She exclaimed as she followed him as he continued to stretch.

"Hello there" Tidus greeted, realising that they had never properly been introduced. "What is your name?"

She placed her hands on her hips and looked at him suspiciously. "Rikku" She answered.

"Woah!" Tidus cheered as he grabbed Rikku by the hands and bounced on the spot. "You really do understand." He flung her hands off and gave another loud cheer and slipping into hysterics. "Um, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I didn't get a chance to" She answered. "Everyone thought oui were a fiend." Tidus nodded before giving her a puzzled look. How did that sentence even make sense?

"Uh, we?" Tidus questioned as he leaned forward.

"Oh, oui means you" She explained. Tidus still didn't understand. Was this part of that weird language that the others were speaking?

"Um…who are you guys anyway?" He asked, hoping he would get an answer that he actually understood this time.

"We're Al Bhed" She answered as she leaned over the rails as though it was common knowledge. "Can't you tell? Wait. You're not an Al Bhed hater, are you?" How could Tidus hate something that he didn't even know existed…much less understand?

"Uh, I don't even know what an Al Bhed is" He admitted.

"Where are you from?" Rikku asked as she crossed her arms firmly over her chest.

"Zanarkand" He answered with a proud smile. "I'm a Blitzball player" He revealed, hoping that he would find a common interest with this girl. "Star player of the Zanarkand Abes" He added as he made a kicking motion. He wanted to seem good at something for once.

"Did you…hit your head or something?" Rikku asked. Oh, what had he done wrong this time?

"Um, you guys hit me" He retorted with a smug smile. He was a sucker for an awkward moment.

"Oh, right" She said, biting her lip as though it was embarrassing. "Remember anything before that?" Tidus took a few steps forward and joined her at the railing of the ship, looking out to the sea. Oh, he remembered everything before that.

_So, I told her everything there was to tell about Zanarkand. About life there, Blitzball, and Sin's attack…and about how Auron and I were engulfed in this light. I just said things as they came to mind. But then I started to wonder…_

"Did I…say something funny?" Tidus asked once he realised that she had been silent throughout the whole thing…always just looking at him weirdly.

"You were near Sin" She proclaimed as though it was a truly shocking thing.

"Uh-huh" Tidus assured as he bowed his head. Any mention of Sin made him feel depressed.

"Don't worry, you'll be better in no time" Rikku assured as she turned back to face him with a warm smile on her face. She sensed the sadness in his voice. "They say your head gets funny with Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream."

"You mean I'm sick?" Tidus asked, believing that that theory was too far-fetched. Hell, a few days ago he would have thought that the idea of Zanarkand being destroyed was far-fetched.

"Because of Sin's toxin, yeah" She answered, her voice soft as though she was speaking to that of a child.

"You sure?" He questioned. He needed reassurance in this life. He needed someone to tell him that he wasn't abnormal.

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore" Rikku went on. "Sin destroyed it one thousand years ago. So, no one plays Blitzball there." She began to walk away, but Tidus couldn't let her. He needed an explanation for this.

"Huh?" He gasped. "Wh-what do you mean one thousand years ago? But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand. You're saying that happened one thousand years ago? No way!"

"You said…you play Blitzball?" Rikku asked.

"Uh-huh"

"You know, you should go to Luca" She suggested. Again Tidus was told about all of these places and things that he didn't understand. "Someone might know who you are or you might find someone you recognise."

"Luca?" He hadn't heard of the place, so he doubted there would be anyone there that he knew.

"Ahhh" She complained. The pair were both impatient. There was no way that Tidus was going to learn at this rate. Tidus gave a low sigh as Rikku began to stalk away before stopping again and running back over to him. A feather light tap brought her to his attention.

"Okay, leave it to me" She reassured. "I'll get you to Luca, I promise." Tidus wasn't even sure, at this point, that he wanted to go to Luca. He hadn't heard of the place and he didn't want to end up getting lost again. He would much rather stay with Rikku on this ship. "You'd rather stay here?"

"Uh-huh" He shook his head. He wasn't going to let on how scared he was of this place.

"Okay, I'll go tell the others. Wait here." She began to hurry away before stopping and turning to face him again. "Oh, and one thing…don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, kay? Yevon says it's a holy place…you might upset someone."

"Oh…okay…" He stumbled. With that said, she sprang away and Tidus was left with his thoughts.

_My Zanarkand, some kind of holy place? Yeah right, I thought. Since when? Yevon? Sin? Luca? I thought Sin had just took me to a far-away place. That I could go back in a day or two. But a thousand years into the future?_

"No way!" He exclaimed as he booted the metal container he had been using as shelter. As soon as his foot made contact, the whole ship shuddered and vaulted. He rolled backwards and clutched at his chest. A huge gust of water splashed up from the side of the boat and that was when everyone came running to see what was happening.

"Sin!" They all shouted. Tidus didn't need a translator to understand what that meant.

"Sin ec lusa!" The other screamed as Tidus took a closer look. He was sure that this would be the end for him.

"Ihtan ic ihtan ic" Another shouted. Another jet of water came hurtling up, spilling over the sides of the ship, knocking Tidus straight off his feet and sending him spilling into the water. The others simply looked on as he sank lower and lower before a whirlpool grasped him and sent him deeper underwater. And then…everything went black.

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_**Author's Note: So? Did you enjoy this chapter? Please leave a review. I'm going to try and update once a month, but if I miss that deadline, I deeply apologise. Hope you have enjoyed.**_

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_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	3. Besaid

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.  
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_**Again, thank you very much for the amazing feedback. Please do keep it coming and I also would like to apologise for how long it is taking me to update for this story. I've got quite a few fanfictions on the go and a few that I'm writing that haven't been posted yet. I'm trying to update for every one once a month, but that is proving to be harder than it looks. Anyways, I just want to say thank you for your patience. Enjoy this chapter!  
**_

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_**THANK YOU:**_

_**w1n3t0n**__**: Thank you very much for the constructive criticism. I went back on chapter two and edited the battle scenes, so they're more descriptive. Thanks for the tip. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Erin Primette**__**: Thank you so much for taking the time to review again. I hope you also enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Pallette**__**: Thank you very much for the review and the constructive criticism. I'll pay more attention to that this time. Hope you enjoy this chapter!  
**_

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_**Chapter Three: Besaid**_

The Blitzer lay unconscious face down in the warm water. The gentle rocking of the waves made it almost impossible for him to open his eyes and face the harsh sunlight. The water lapped lovingly at his worn out and beaten face, making it seem like he was simply taking a bath…not struggling to survive in a world that he didn't even recognise. It was then that he realised where he was. Spluttering, he threw his head out of the water and took a deep breath. How had he even managed to stay alive without breathing for so long? He guessed it was his strong lungs and the years of practice in the Blitzball arena. "Rikku!" He shouted once he had gained his breath back

The scene before him was immensely different compared to everything he had just experienced. Above him, the soft crow of birds sounded and the tranquil, crystalline blue sky seemed to illuminate his world. The sound of the waves were no longer crashing, but simply rolling and frothing.

For a moment, he wondered if he was home. Perhaps the water was the sound of the aftermath of all the destruction that he had survived. Just as his interest was beginning to peak, it all plummeted straight back down. This couldn't possibly be his home. It smelled fresh and peaceful. Zanarkand was filled with the smell of pollution from all the machinery that was used in it. Everything looked miniscule here compared to the towering buildings in Zanarkand.

As he took a moment to admire the beauty strewn around him, he became unaware of what was happening just behind him. A hard spherical object smashed into the back of his head, the dull thud making him wonder how he hadn't been knocked out. It didn't take long for the stabbing pains to go shooting through his skull.

The pain only seemed too familiar. It had to have been a Blitzball. He had taken one to the end way too many times. During his first game as a professional Blitzball player, a Blitzball smashed into his head and cut it open. He had lost the game, but was determined to go back and show them what he was made of.

He turned quickly to see who the culprit had been, the rapid movement causing his vision to swim in and out of focus. The people before him were blurry, but there was no doubt that it was a band of men that we were watching him intently like he was some sort of alien.

He had no clue how long it had been since he fell of that ship…since Rikku probably died. All he knew was that he had missed human contact. All he knew was that he needed to get to these people before they left him.

"Blitzball" Tidus cheered to himself as he took the familiar ball in his hands. He knew for certain that these people had to know a little about his past.

"Hey! You okay?" A voice asked from the sand parts of the beach. Tidus' vision was still hazy, but he could make out a head of ginger, wild hair and some odd clothes. They looked like something that Egyptians would wear. If anyone had been seen wearing clothes like that in Zanarkand, they would be laughed at until they cried.

"HEEY!" Tidus yelled out as he waved his hand wildly at them as though he was going to lose them any second. Maybe this was the time when he would get his chance to go home. It seemed like a long shot, but hope was the only thing that Tidus had now.

Without any warning, Tidus plunged deep into the water. The wave of ice cold he had been expecting didn't come. Instead he felt only warmth as the water washed over and invaded him.

He shot up from the warmth at exactly the same point where the Blitzball had been calmly floating beforehand. The ball and Tidus sprang high into the sky before Tidus flipped backwards and slammed his boot into the blue ball, sending it hurtling straight for the beach as he glided back into the water with the grace a ballet dancer had.

He could hear the gasps of excitement and surprise from the players that had been standing on the beach as the ball whipped past their heads and shot straight into the sky in the direction of the beautiful palm trees at a speed that Tidus couldn't even describe.

As he resurfaced, he tried not to get too giddy at the laughs he could hear emit from the ginger Blitzball player. With long strides, he swam straight towards the sand, sad when he was completely out of the water. As strange as it sounded, that had been one of the most relaxing moments he had experienced ever since Sin attacked Zanarkand.

Before he approached the band of players, he stopped to take a look at his idyllic surroundings. He had never seen so much greenery in all of his life. Huge trees stuck up from every direction, surrounding the ocean as they sprouted from the cliffs. A pier led from the sand into the depths of the ocean that looked incredibly unstable. After all the platforms did angle at different ways from each other. Just behind where the other Blitzer's stood was a sand path that led into even more greenery. That section of the beach looked dark, yet friendly since most of the sunlight was blocked by gigantic, benevolent leaves.

As Tidus was admiring the view, three of the players surrounded him until he was ambushed. They didn't look like they were going to try and hurt him like the Al Bhed did…simply like they were amazed by him and what they just saw him do.

"Yo…hiya" Tidus greeted awkwardly as he stretched his hand behind his heard, a nervous habit he had.

"You wanna…try dat move…one more time?" The red-headed one asked. Up close, Tidus was even more amazed by his appearance. His wild hair was slicked back and high into a quiff that was simply exuberant.

The question made it hard for Tidus to contain his excitement as he fist-pumped the air.

_Finally, things were starting to look up_

The ball was kicked to him as the players backed off to allow him some room to do the move. He closed his eyes and kicked off from the ground when he felt the ball connect with his head. He did the exact same backflip and kicked the ball hard over the ocean. It skimmed the water and shot away out of view.

"Whoa" All the players breathed as they watched where the ball had previously been.

"You no amateur! Who you play for?" The red-head asked as he grinned at what he had just found. He hadn't believed he would ever find raw, pure talent simply float up on the beach.

"The Zanarkand Abes" Tidus proclaimed proudly, his chest puffing out as he expected the fellow Blitzball players to be even more amazed, if that was even possible. Their reaction was not what Tidus had anticipated. Their eyes widened and they began to murmur to those beside them as they looked on at Tidus as though he was a crazy man.

"What team you say again?" The leader asked as he looked at Tidus as though he hadn't quite heard him correctly.

"Uh…I meant…forget that" Tidus saved as he shook his hands, knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell them everything that had happened…he's much rather keep that to himself for now. "I uh…got too close to Sin…and uh…my heads all foggy like. So uh…I don't know where this place is…or even where I came from." Everything had been a lie up until the last part and that fact had made him more upset than he had felt in a long time.

"Sin's toxin got to ya" The leader sighed as though he had heard this kind of story a million times. Perhaps Sin was common in this place. "But, you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon"

The team took a step back and did a weird gesture with their hands before bowing low at Tidus. What the hell was happening? "All right, back to practice. I'm Wakka"

Wakka grabbed at Tidus' hand in a friendly handshake before announcing his title. "Coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda!"

A wave of hunger and fatigue washed over Tidus as his stomach growled loudly at him. He doubled over in pain and whimpered as he held onto his stomach. He hadn't been this hungry in a long time.

"What? You hungry?" Wakka questioned. The idea of food had never sounded so appealing to Tidus before. Even the word made his mouth water in expectancy. "Okay, back to the village. I'll get ya something." With that said, he jogged off into the dark part of the beach that led into the maze of trees.

_I felt like I could trust this Wakka, so I just had to ask._

"Um, it's true Zanarkand was destroyed right? A thousand years ago, so it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?" He questioned as he looked at the pearly, white sand with angry eyes. By the look on Wakka's face, Tidus could tell that he wasn't exactly comfortable with discussing all of this with someone that he had only just met. Whatever had happened to Zanarkand, Tidus knew that it was a touchy subject.

"Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira" He began to explain with a grave look marring his face. "_Big _cities with machina – machines – to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work and then, well, take a look. Sin came and destroyed the machina cities and Zanarkand alone with them. Yeah, that was about one thousand years ago, just like you said. If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get outta hand. What gets me, though is we gotta suffer 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! Course we must always repent for our Sins. That's important. It's just that it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?"

_It was just as Rikku said. Wakka and Rikku couldn't both be lying…why would they?_

Wakka let out a loud laugh, breaking Tidus' thoughts immediately. "But you from the Zanarkand Abes" He chuckled as his hand clubbed Tidus sharply on the shoulder as he let out another hearty laugh. "That was a good one, huh? I'm not saying the team never existed, ya? But ya gotta figure, a team living in luxury like that be pretty soft, eh?"

_I appreciated the fact that Wakka was trying to cheer me up but, at that time, all I could think about was everything that happened to me. All this started with Sin. Maybe if I could find Sin one more time, I could go home. For now, I'd just live life until that time came. No more worrying about where or when I was. Sure was hard not to think of home, but it started to feel better already. A little better…maybe._

Even though his heart was sinking at the simple mention of Zanarkand, Tidus followed Wakka into the captivating trees with a smile plastered on his face. The smile may have not been entirely real and honest, but it was a start.

"Hey, it's this way" He heard Wakka's manly voice call as he trudged through the dampening sprouts of grass and weeds. This whole place looked overrun with beautiful plants and ominous boulders that it made Tidus wonder if this was the remnants of an attack that Sin had once made. He chose against asking Wakka, knowing it would probably just make him feel as sad as Tidus did.

Despite the sadness that Tidus was feeling, he continued on before stopping at the brink of the grassy hill. In front of him, was one of the most beautiful and tranquil things he had ever seen in his entire life. He was standing on a low cliff that overlooked a wonderful, blue lake. It was so clear and clean that Tidus could see all the way down to the very bottom where lights rocks and moss floated deeper into the mouth that led out to the ocean that Tidus had been floating in not too long ago.

At that moment, Tidus realised that this wasn't a village like Wakka had said he was going to be leading him too. "Huh?" He questioned. Before he had a chance to explain his confusion to Wakka, he had crept up behind him. A tough, callused hand clubbed him on the back. Had Tidus been expecting this, he wouldn't have plummeted down to the water like he did then. With a loud scream and splash, Tidus went under the depths of the water. It was cooler here than it had been in the ocean, causing Tidus to shiver once his head broke the surface.

Another loud splash alerted Tidus that Wakka had jumped in too. "What's the big idea?" Wakka didn't answer him, only nodded his head in the direction that they were going to be swimming. With each long stride, Tidus could feel his body warming up. The swim from the beach to the village felt calming to Tidus. Although he was with Wakka, he felt as though he could relax and simply think about everything that had happened to him over the past…well he didn't know how long it had been. It was almost therapeutic in a way.

They had been taking the swim to the village leisurely. Perhaps too leisurely. Tidus was unaware of practically everything around him. When he finally snapped back into reality, he couldn't find Wakka. Had he drifted away from him? A low chuckle was all he could hear. The voice sounded like it belonged to Wakka, so Tidus turned his head left and then right. Surely it couldn't be that hard to find the red-head.

As he was looking for him, two hands gripped his shoulders firmly.

"Lemme go!" Tidus snapped as he struggled out of Wakka's grasp.

"Got a favour to ask ya" Wakka explained, his hand never once unhooking from Tidus' neck. Whatever this favour was, Tidus knew that the answer would have to be 'yes' if he wanted out of this deadly grip.

"You want me on your team, right?" Tidus questioned, aware of the grin that was playing at his lips. Hell, if he was going to be lost in this world that he didn't have the first clue about, he may as well do something that he loves whilst he tries to figure out a way to get out of it.

The hand let go of Tidus' neck, the action unexpected…causing Tidus to sink into the water before coming back up for air.

"A major Blitz tournament's coming up" Wakka began explaining as Tidus made himself comfortable by floating on his back, making sure he listened intently to the words coming from Wakka. "All the teams in Spira will be there." As Tidus floated dreamily in the water, he deciphered the hidden meaning in Wakka's words. "It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognise you!" Tidus had been about to refuse, but Wakka's next words made him stop and think. If there was a chance someone might recognise him, he wanted to grab that opportunity as soon as possible. "Then you can go back to your own team, right?" He continued as he looked at Tidus expectantly. "It'll be fun, whaddya say, huh? C'mon! C'mon"

Tidus stared at the whiter than white clouds that were gliding sharply through the clear air. He had never seen anything as beautiful and tranquil than this. He had never seen a properly clear day where the air wasn't clogged up with smoke from the ominous skyscrapers. Did he really want to do this? Did he really want to join a new Blitzball team and accept that this could be his fate? "Sure thing" he muttered as his eyes met the clouds above him again. His heart hadn't been in it, but Wakka had completely ignored this…too giddy about the fact that Tidus was joining.

"Dude, our team is gonna rock, eh?" Wakka cheered before diving into the water after Tidus.

_I thought then that Blitzball and Sin were the only two _things that Spira and Zanarkand had in common…I wasn't too far off either.

They trudged up a gravel bank that seemed steeper than Tidus could imagine. Wakka stopped on the edge of the bank and looked down at the village below. It seemed small to Tidus' eyes, but yet so special. A large rock-like building that looked like a temple seemed to be the epicentre of this village and a few tent huts were scattered around it. It seemed as though these people lived it rough, yet the beauty of it still had Tidus transfixed.

"This is where I was born" Wakka explained as he gestured down at the village. "I started Blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen, ten years ago. Ten years and we never won a game. Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right" With that said, Wakka abruptly stepped away from Tidus. It seemed as though the matter of Blitzball was a touchy one with Wakka. The lack of successfulness clearly bugged him.

Tidus hung his head before following him, the idea that Wakka was sensitive about Blitzball embedded firmly in his mind.

"So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya?" Wakka explained, although he sounded slightly angry about it. Tidus recognised that. It was the yearning to win. "But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game."

"Ten years without a single win will do that" Tidus explained. He had felt that same yearning and determination to win a game when his old man had always been putting him down. Wakka grunted, not sure how to take Tidus' comment.

"My first match last year was my big chance, but something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus." Wakka explained. That had been the first lesson Tidus had learned when he started playing Blitzball. Never make excuses. Always do your best. Put your heart and soul into the game and don't think about anything else.

"Nice excuse" Tidus jeered as he shook his head slightly, no longer able to handle the audacity.

"Hey, hey!" Wakka warned as his eyes trained heavily on the ground. Even Tidus could see the look of shame in his eyes. Perhaps he had been a bit too hard on him.

"So, you wanna win the next tournament…go out with a bang?" Tidus questioned, his hand lying gracefully on his hip. Wakka gave him a brief nod. "So, what's our goal?"

"I don't care how we do…as long as we play our best" Wakka answered. That had been another rule Tidus had learned. Never settle for second best. "If we give it our all, I can walk away happy."

"No, no, no, no!" Tidus scolded with exasperation. Jesus, this team really needed his help. Oh god, he was starting to sound like his old man. "If I say 'what's your goal?' you say 'victory!' When you play in a Blitzball tournament, you play to win"

"Victory" Wakka muttered as though he had never heard the word before. It tasted queer on his lips, yet he had a good feeling about it. "You serious?" It seemed as though this place did things a lot differently to how it was done in Zanarkand.

As the duo walked down the bank, the village came into sight. A stone wall seemed to encircle it, allowing only a small entryway completely in line with the temple. Before they reached it, Tidus could hear the giggle of children and the chatter of women, but also the clank of a Blacksmith working and dogs barking. This small village seemed to have all of the vibrancy of Zanarkand…if not more.

"Ah, the one from the sea" A voice said, stopping Tidus straight in his tracks.

"Be on guard, there are fiends on the road today" The smaller claimed as he stood behind the fiery red head.

"After surviving your run in with Sin, it would be a shame if something happened now" The leader added. For some reason, Tidus didn't like him…it was like he was constantly looking down on him…finding the idea of Tidus not having a clue where he was or how he got here funny.

"Who are they?" Tidus asked as he stared at their retreating figures.

"Luzzu and Gatta" Wakka answered as though it was common knowledge. Tidus supposed it was easy to forget that he didn't have a clue about the happenings of this land. "The Crusaders" He added as though it would clear up any confusion.

"Huh?" Tidus questioned as his brows furrowed tightly. "Crews of what?"

"What? You forgot that too?" Wakka asked. With a frustrated sigh, Tidus hung his head. It was bad enough to being able to understand the world…it made it worse that Wakka thought he was growing increasingly stupid. "Eh, sorry. Don't worry about it, I'll help you out"

"Cool" Tidus replied. The situation didn't seem to appealing, but he was thankful for any of the help he could get. "In return, come tournament time, I'll make sure we take the cup"

"About the crusaders, you can ask them yourself" Wakka began, his face alight with glee over the prospect of winning the cup. "They've got a lodge in the village"

Once the pair reached the stone gateway to the village, Wakka clubbed Tidus on the back, stopping him in his tracks. "Besaid Village" He looked on in pride. Something told Tidus that Wakka was well liked in this place.

"They got any food there?" Tidus asked as he clutched at his empty, growling stomach. How long had it been since he last ate?

"We'll get you something over there later" Wakka assured as he pointed to one of the many lodges. "Take a look around first. Let's see. The crusaders lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there. Hmm, oh right. Over here" Wakka walked straight back out of the greying entrance and beckoned for Tidus to follow.

"Huh? What's up?" Tidus questioned as he followed.

"You do remember the prayer right?" Wakka asked. Tidus' face screwed up in confusion.

_Of course I'd never prayed before in my life. Not that he would know that._

Wakka's jaw dropped as he looked at Tidus intently…waiting for him to laugh and say he was only joking. The entirety of Spira knew the prayer. Tidus should be no different.

"You must have…forgot…or something" Wakka assured. "Here, I'll show you" Wakka took a step back, spread his arms before folding them in to make a shape that looked as though he was holding a sphere and then gave a bow full of pride.

"Go ahead. You try" Wakka ordered as he looked at Tidus expectantly. Tidus mimicked his actions. Something felt right about this. He couldn't place his finger on it just yet, but he was sure that he had done this before. "Hey, not that bad. Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner" He gave Tidus a small smile before walking off, leaving him standing there with his hands holding the imaginary sphere.

_Any Blitzball player would know that prayer. It was the Blitzball sign for victory._

He peered inside his hands before walking awkwardly into the village. He was determined to make this work if it was the last thing that he did. With the way Sin seemed to be targeting him, he had a feeling that it could easily be the last thing he did.

As soon as he looked around the village, his eyes fell on a large building that seemed to be the epitome of Besaid. It was made of hard stone and grey rock. It easily towered over absolutely everything that was standing in the village. He had never seen anything like this in his time and it instantly captivated him. Before he knew it, his legs were forcing him to walk over to it without his command. Well, Wakka did tell him to have a look around the island and this was what he wanted to check out.

He walked slowly up the stone steps where a few children were playing with a dog and a ball. Their laughs rang out loudly, only ceasing when Tidus finished the journey into the building.

When he stepped inside, the temperature seemed to drop and his footsteps echoed all around him. Everything else seemed to be silent apart from a song that rang loudly in the building. It seemed familiar to him, but Tidus couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was a woman singing an opera styled song that seemed to pure and holy to even be allowed. It was beautiful.

Many people were stood in this hall. Some were praying and others were simply standing watching them as though they were guards. It was then that Tidus realised where he was. He had found himself standing in a temple.

Tidus had never really been religious, so it felt weird for him to be standing in a place of worship. It almost felt as though he was trespassing.

Even though he felt as though he shouldn't be here, he took further steps in and took a closer look at everything that surrounded him. Statues seemed to be scattered around the temple. Everywhere Tidus turned there seemed to be a religious looking figure staring down at him. The roof to this building was an intricate design with lots of swirls and patterns mostly painted in a dark red that seemed almost black in the dim light that the candles casted in the temple. He had never seen anything as beautiful as this in his time at Zanarkand. Nothing at his home was as old and historic as this and there was sure as hell nothing as peaceful as this place.

_It was then…standing in that place I began to realise how different this world was from my own._

He stood in front of one of the many statues and began to inspect it. It was, without a doubt, the tallest one here. It made Tidus believe that this man had been very famous. He wore long, brown robes and carried in his hand what looked to be like a gigantic staff.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner" A voice behind Tidus said. He spun around and his eyes fixed on an old man with no hair apart from his long beard which was almost as long as his orange and black robes. "And finally, we receive a statue for our temple." His hand pointed to the statue as he looked at it with obvious pride in his eyes.

"What's a high summoner?" Tidus enquired as he looked at the man with utter confusion in his eyes. A few gasps could be heard around Tidus as the man took a wary step back. It seemed that he had found himself in a spot of bother once more. He looked around at the civilians watching him with a look of disgust marring his face. "I-I…um got too close Sin's um… toxin" The man took another step back, but only to allow himself the room to bow at the Blitzer.

It was awkward to have so many people feel sorry for him. He used to adore the attention at Zanarkand, but that was only because they were giving him it because he had a special talent. He didn't like it out of pity votes.

_It was funny hearing myself make the same excuse over and over. Funny…and a little sad._

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art sworn to protect the people of Yevon" He began to explain. "Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power…the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon" As the old man spoke to Tidus, he prayed in front of the statue.

_So, what he meant was that we should respect some kind of great man or something like that, I figured._

Once the explanation had ended, everyone continued to watch Tidus as though he was some kind of alien to this world. It was too awkward for Tidus to deal with, so he gave them a tiny smile before rushing out of the temple.

The sunlight that bored down on him almost blinded him as he left the darkness of the temple. He hurried down the steps and into the main camp as his stomach growled furiously once more.

He headed into the classiest looking tent to find the crusaders once more.

"Hey. You!" The tanned one spoke. His voice sounded urgent as though there was a problem that was arising right at that very minute. "You were attacked by Sin, right? Recently was it?"

"I think so" Tidus answered as he thought back to his ordeal. How long had it been? Ever since Zanarkand, he had had no sense of time. It could have been weeks ago for all he knew.

"So, Sin can't be far, right?" He asked as he rubbed at his chin. Tidus couldn't figure out what was up with the interrogation. All he wanted was food and a chance to rest for a while. "You're not hiding anything, are you?"

"Why would I?" Tidus asked defensively. He didn't like the feeling of being accused by strangers.

"If Sin's nearby then he'll attack the island for sure" Luzzu explained as he glared daggers at Gatta. It seemed that Luzzu was the leader of this duo. "But it hasn't. I wonder why"

"I'm sorry…I really don't know anything" Tidus sighed, beginning to wish that he could offer some help to the two. "To tell the truth, I don't even know what the crusaders are."

"You're kidding, right?" Gatta asked as a hurt look crossed his face. It seemed that Tidus had insulted Gatta's pride.

"Sin…the toxin" Luzzu put together. "Gatta, tell him who we are."

"Yes, sir" Gatta answered as he pushed up from his seat. "The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin. We have chapters throughout Spira accepting all who wish to join our struggle. The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the _Crimson Blades. _Later our ranks grew and we called ourselves the _Crusaders. _We've been fighting Sin ever since." The speech seemed almost robotic…as though Gatta had been taught by Luzzu how to say it word for word.

"What? You've been fighting eight hundred years and you still haven't beat it!?" Tidus asked in confusion. How could something be so powerful that it would take over eight hundred years to kill? There must be something seriously wrong with this place.

Gatta's automated speech halted as he stuttered. It seemed that Luzzu hadn't prepared Gatta for a question like that.

"Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times" Luzzu intervened, already sensing that Gatta was going to mess it up. To Tidus, it sounded as though Luzzu was simply trying to protect the Crusaders' name. "And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our job as Crusaders, is to protect the temples, towns, villages and people of Spira."

"So, then whose job is it to defeat Sin?" Tidus asked as his eyes widened. He just couldn't seem to get his head around the ordeal that Spira was going through. The pair looked at Tidus dumbfounded.

"Is Sin's toxin really this bad, Sir?" Gatta asked as he looked at Tidus in amazement…probably wondering how someone could be that stupid.

"It does seem rather bad" Luzzu agreed as he looked at Tidus in scrutiny. "We could just tell you, but I think it better for you to try and remember. Go pray at the temple perhaps Yevon will help you regain your memory." Feeling sillier by the moment, Tidus nodded and left the Crusaders cabin before stalking to Wakka's.

Once he was inside, he found him sitting by a small table next to a bed. "Sorry, man. No time for lunch yet" He sighed once he noticed Tidus standing at the entryway. "Take a nap! You look bushed"

Tidus accepted and slipped into the bed behind Wakka. It had been the most comfortable he had been in a long time. It didn't take long for his eyelids to droop and for his body to slip into unconsciousness.

"You could at least go see how they're doing" A voice spoke, making Tidus slip out of his dream. The voice sounded all too familiar. Was it the monk that Tidus could hear?

"We can't interfere" he heard Wakka defend. "It's a rule"

"But, it's been nearly…" The voice faded as footsteps retreated. The words triggered a flashback.

* * *

_The words of the monk played in his head as Tidus found himself on a dock of some sort._

_"It's been nearly a day already" A firm voice stated to a small group of people that were gathered around him._

_"Perhaps you could go look for us" Tidus' mother begged as she pressed her hands against her face. She couldn't believe this was happening to her and her little boy. He couldn't lose his father. And she couldn't lose her husband._

"_People are searching for him now" He assured, but his words offered her no comfort. All she wanted was for her Jecht to hold her once more._

_"Thank you" She breathed as the man walked off, but he was already gone. _

_"Who cares whether he comes back or not?" Tidus hissed as he stood before his mother. _

_"But he might die" She offered as she walked over to him, bending down in front of him. She desperately wanted their relationship to improve. _

"_Fine, let him!" Tidus snapped as he hung his head, refusing to make eye contact with his mother._

_"Do you…do you hate him so?" She asked as her voice turned into a whisper. Tidus only offered her a firm nod. "But, if he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him."_

* * *

With a start, he awoke, gasping for breath before stumbling from the bed. "Wakka?" No one was in the tent, so he ventured outside and headed straight for the temple. After all, it seemed that everyone went there when they had a problem.

Once he entered, he spotted a large group by the steps. Wakka was amongst them. "Is something wrong?" He asked once he reached the islander.

"The summoner hasn't returned from the trial" he replied solemnly.

"Eh?" Tidus questioned. Whatever it was that Wakka meant, Tidus had a feeling that it wasn't going to be good.

"Well, apprentice summoner, really" Wakka corrected as he looked up the stairs longingly.

"Huh?" Tidus asked. Nothing was making sense to him at all.

"There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials" Wakka began to explain. "Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged Summoner. Remember?"

"Uh, so someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out, right? I got it" Tidus confirmed. He didn't understand why she was in there or what was in there, but he understood that something bad must be happening.

"A day's already gone by" Wakka added as he looked angrily at the ground. Whoever was in there must be important to him.

"Is it particularly…dangerous in there?" Tidus asked, praying that the answer would be no. So far, nothing had gone his way and he didn't expect this to either.

"Sometimes…yes" Wakka responded gravely.

"Why don't you go in and help?" Tidus asked, wondering why everyone was just standing here. She could be dead in there and no one was going to her aid.

"There's already guardians in there" Wakka answered, pointing up to the ominous door. "Besides, it's forbidden"

Tidus found this whole thing ludicrous. Who cared if it was forbidden? She needed help and he was prepared to give it to her. He didn't care about the rules or whatever anyone else said. It was then that he realised that this place wasn't as beautiful as he thought. If the people in it were prepared to let someone get hurt…it just couldn't be beautiful.

He ran halfway up the stairs before stopping to turn around once more. "Hey, but what if something happens? What if the summoner dies?"

"The precepts must be obeyed" The monk cried at the Blitzer, but he was no longer listening to anything that they had to say to him.

"Like I care" He shouted before running up the rest of the steps and through the doors. Once he was inside, they closed behind him with a malevolent thud. And everything turned colder and even darker.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

_**Author's Note: Oh goodness, you should all hate me for keeping you waiting this long for an update. I've decided to split this chapter into two because Besaid is such a long section of the game and I had already kept you waiting long enough for this update, so it only seemed fair. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please leave me some feedback.**_

* * *

_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	4. A Summoner Is Born

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

_**I have edited and reposted this chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

_**Wow, the reviews for the previous chapter were absolutely brilliant! Thank you for giving me feedback on this story! Okay, I'm an evil cow. I should not have kept you waiting this long for an update. Anyway, I'm no longer on hiatus! I hope you all enjoy!**_

_**THANK YOU:**_

_**Erin Primette: **__**Sorry for keeping you waiting so long! I hope you enjoy this chapter**_

_**w1n3t0n**__**: Wow! Your review was quite possibly the best review I have had during my time writing on . I like to take any constructive criticism that I receive on board and yours really helped improve the chapter! I'm so glad that my edit of chapter two was better. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that Tidus and Yuna's first meeting is good for you.**_

_**Chapter Four: A Summoner Is Born**_

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all._

As soon as the stone doors clamped shut, Tidus' world was plunged into darkness and a scent of dampness and moss filled his nostrils. This was all too much like when he woke up in that icy cold water after Sin attacked Zanarkand. Although he could barely see his surroundings, he had a feeling that it was somewhere that was also made of stone and had been neglected for years.

As he stood there in complete darkness, his breathing quickened as his body fell into panic mode. Slowly, he took a step forward into the room, slipping over gunge and moss as he squinted to get a better look at things. Instinctively, his hands reached out to touch the walls at the side of him. The stone was freezing and rock solid, but he could tell that he was in small room. That fact only managed to make him more scared. What if the walls were suddenly going to close in on him? After all, he didn't know the first thing about this world. That could be considered as normal in this place. What on Earth had he managed to get himself into?

His hands clamped firmly around his neck in an effort to warm up any bare skin. He had a feeling that some people may have frozen to death down here…he didn't want to be one of them.

In that moment, he attempted to remember anything he had heard on any of those survival television shows that his old man always used to make him watch with him. He always used to say they were interesting and they were bound to help Tidus at some point. It was about the only nice moment Tidus had ever experienced with old man.

As it stands, he could remember a thing from them.

What a bucket-load of help those television shows were then.

Just ahead of him, his eyes fell on a strange pattern on the wall that was lit up in an eerie, green light. It switched between arrows pointing up, down, left and right. He hadn't seen anything like this before, but Tidus had a feeling that it was significant in getting out of this place. It was the only thing in this place that Tidus could see beauty in. It stood out against the crumbling walls and mass of mud and moss clumped together. And because of that, he couldn't help but reach out to it even though he had no idea what it might do to him.

Hesitantly, he pressed his hand softly to the centre of the four arrows. For a moment, nothing happened and Tidus began to believe that his thoughts were utter rubbish, but the pattern on the wall shuddered and swelled as a breeze swept past Tidus and chilled him to the bone, leaving him with goosebumps all up his arms, legs and his neck.

To the right of him, he heard a shuddering and the same pattern morphed onto the wall in a display of pastel colours, mixing and swirling together before combusting and forming the pattern. The temperature of the room dropped once more as Tidus edged closer and closer the patterned wall, his hand reaching out without any control. It was almost as though his gut was telling him how to get through this place. It was either that or this pattern was hypnotising him into touching it. Was this place supposed to play with your mind? Is that why it was so hard for the girl to get out of here? What was it that this was called again? A cloister of trials? Whatever it was, Tidus knew that he wouldn't want to be going back in one of these again. This place gave him the shivers.

An ominous crash sounded loudly before the wall in front of Tidus shuddered and slammed upwards, revealing a secret passageway that Tidus wouldn't have guessed was there. With hesitant steps, he climbed down the slippery staircase before reaching the floor one story down. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quiet that one voice that was telling him perhaps it wasn't too late to turn around and forget all about this girl trapped here, but he knew that would have just been another reason for Jecht to have made his life torture, so he plodded on through the tunnels that could only be described as trenches. The cold seemed to get worse and worse with each step he took and the smell was something he could barely handle.

He reached a stone pedestal that seemed as though it was crumbling away and cracking in the corners. On the top, a glistening, blue sphere was held tightly. Although Tidus couldn't possibly understand why he was here, he seemed to think that this sphere could hold some importance. His hands clasped around the top curve before he attempted to claw it out. The sphere was colder than anything he had ever felt before, but he endured it once he thought of the summoner who was trapped in this cold, dank place.

He took the sphere and crept down to the next flight of stairs, slipping on the moss. He reached a malevolent looking door that was painted crimson red with a golden line stretching around the outline. It towered over him as though it was a predator getting ready to capture its prey. In the centre of the door, he found a circular hole that looked exactly the same size of the sphere that he held in his shaking hand.

Hesitantly, he pushed the sphere in the hole and the door opened wide, leading into another corridor that looked almost identical to the first. He yanked the sphere back from the door before stepping through the hallway.

He only had to turn one corner before finding another strange symbol on the wall and yet another recess. What was the place? How many more patterns would he discover before he would be able to get out of this place? It was then that he feared that this place was never-ending. If that summoner hadn't managed to get out, what made Tidus think that he could? He pushed the sphere into the recess and the wall shuddered before sliding up, leaving a forest of dust in its wake.

He hurried down the rest of the corridor, unable to stand the cold for much longer. His body heated up in excitement once he found another glyph on the wall. Hesitantly, he reached out and pressed his hand against his lightly. The shape seemed to ripple before the wall jolted up much like the one previous.

Inside were several electric looking lines that all led to one sphere. He took the sphere from the grip of the flashing lines and they immediately retreated. Directly opposite this room stood a pedestal which Tidus inserted the sphere into causing the wall in front of him to disappear with a deafening scream. He pushed the pedestal forward until he could no longer move it an inch. As if by magic, the pedestal seeped slowly into the floor.

"Hey!" A stern voice said from behind him. At least it was one that Tidus was able to recognise. Surely Wakka couldn't hate him for trying to help the summoner. Tidus turned to face him, but to only see a look of confusion marring his face. "What's gotten into you?"

He stepped forward until he was standing on level with Tidus. Now he could only see friendliness in Wakka's eyes. "Hey, it's okay. Only summoners, apprentice summoners and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important."

"So, what about you?" Tidus asked, growing tired of all the questions. There was so much to learn about this place.

"Me? I'm a guardian" Wakka answered as though this should be common knowledge even for Tidus who couldn't understand anything about Spira. Wakka folded his arms over his chest importantly like an authority figure would.

"A guardian?" The Blitzer asked, wondering how long it would be before Wakka lost all patience with his many questions that seemed to be never ending. Just like that, Wakka unfolded his arms and gave a hopeless shrug before the floor beneath them shuddered much like the walls had. Tidus grunted in shock before the makeshift elevator began to descend more smoothly.

"Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them" he explained before stepping off the elevator and walking briskly through the next passageway. "The guardians in there now. One of them's got a short fuse and who knows what the other's thinkin' Well, now that we've come this far might as well go all the way."

Tidus followed him into the dark hallway that seemed so much warmer than the dank dungeon he had somehow managed to find himself in before.

Flames lit the way through the corridor and everything seemed to be either brown, red or gold. In some other life, Tidus may have found this place creepy, but he was beginning to understand what beauty was now.

"What are you doing here?" A soft voice asked, although it held no warmth. The beauty seemed to be sucked out of the room as Tidus searched for the owner of the voice. He found a woman in her early twenties sitting at the bottom of the stone steps draped in a crimson and golden carpet. Her hair hung over her face in long braids that almost touched the ground and her grey dress, complete with belts and fur enveloped her like a baby in the arms of its mother. "Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?" She asked as she rose from the steps with a grace almost unimaginable. Her voice was simply astounding. It felt like ice cold water lapping at you, making your body turn rigid in fear and petrification. When this woman spoke, it was like the whole world stopped for a moment just to listen to that voice. As soon as she stood open, the atmosphere in the room changed considerably. Tidus clearly wasn't the only one who was frightened of her.

"No it's uh…it's just" Wakka stuttered as he groped for the right words that would satisfy this woman "See, I told you she gets mad easy" Wakka muttered under his breath, ever so careful to ensure his companion didn't hear him.

She thundered over to Wakka and stood imposingly in front of him with a hard glare on her face.

"Is the summoner alright?" Tidus asked, figuring this would be the best to get the attention off Wakka. She scoffed before her eyes finally settled on Tidus as though she was seeing him for the first time.

"Who are you?" She asked as her eyes scrutinized him. As much as Tidus wanted to break eye contact with her, he couldn't. He was transfixed by her.

A low rumble stopped Tidus from answering her question for which he was thankful for. With one last glance at him, she turned on her heel and watched the top of the steps where a doorway was forming. The doorway that had previously appeared to be a wall disappeared into the abyss and Tidus' eyes found themselves upon that could only be described as sheer beauty.

She clutched onto the wall beside her with dear life as she fought to stand straight. It seemed as though every movement was paining her greatly to the point where she could barely lift her head up to look at those gathering at the bottom of the steps for her. Curiously, Tidus tentatively stepped forward to get a closer look at her.

She finally lifted her head up and made to make the journey down the steps. Her face was deathly white and slick sweat covered her forehead. She had clearly had a gruelling few days, but still all Tidus could think of was that this woman was the most beautiful ones he had seen. He realised then that the threatening lady could be talking all she wanted, but it would no longer transfix him anymore. At least not when this brunette was in the room.

She only made it one step before swaying back and forth and finally tipping over the edge. A loud gasp met the Blitzer's ears as he made for action, but the blue monster beat him to it. He thundered up the steps and caught the girl by her arms. As she stood up once more, a relieved sigh broke out as her saviour growled in concern.

He took a step back as she got her footing properly. Her delicate and fragile hands swept her hair away from her face and then she seemed to look at everyone properly with a look of pride glinting in her eyes.

"I've done it" She said with a soft voice that contained all of the warmth, love and friendliness in the world. "I have become…a summoner." With that said, her guardian swept her away before Tidus was able to ask any more questions.

_Man, was I surprised. And here I was thinking summoners were all old geezers. _

Tidus stood at the top of the steps, watching the scene below him unravel. Everyone had some sort of form of respect for her. Some prayed, others shook her hand and some simply bowed, but everyone showed only love and gratitude towards her. Whatever it was, Tidus knew that this girl was setting out to do something big and important. He had no doubt about that.

As they left, Tidus sprinted to keep up with them. For the first time since coming to this island, Tidus felt truly alone. He was going to have to get through this next part by himself. This wonderful girl was the centre of attention right now. Wakka had to see to her. Tidus would be an afterthought right now. And for the first time in his life, Tidus was okay with this. The summoner was more important.

"Hey, over here" Wakka called out to him. At least he was still thinking of Tidus even if it was only a very small amount. Tidus hesitantly followed the voice, looking back longingly at the temple. When he was in there, it was like he could hide away from the rest of the world. Out here something big was going on and Tidus didn't feel like he belonged. It was almost like he was imposing.

An arm hooked around his neck and dragged him over to the crowd, snapping him straight out of his thoughts. He only managed to get out a few screams of protest before the villager's hushed him. After all, they didn't want a mere Blitzer like him spoiling whatever big moment this was.

"Wait till you see this" Wakka grinned, still wrestling with Tidus who was desperately trying to claw his way to freedom.

"I can't see anything" Tidus pointed out just as Wakka turned him around, so he was facing the summoner who was waiting expectantly at the centre of the crowd.

"Ready!" Wakka called to the summoner who turned to meet his gaze with only concentration marring her face.

"Okay" She said curtly. She took three tentative steps forward before raising her hands to meet in the middle right above her head. Tidus noticed that she held a staff in one hand that was full of bright colours. The staff alone was to enough to put Tidus in a trance. She lowered her staff and brought it right to her centre as Tidus watched on expectantly. She took an abrupt step back, raising the staff above her head once more.

Beams of light shot out of it, circling around the staff and morphing together to form different shapes. The summoner was engulfed and encompassed in a soft, baby pink light that swirled and mixed around her with a sense of power that Tidus could only dream of. At this moment, he believed that she held more light than the sun. She was more mesmerising than all of the planets. She glowed brighter than a star.

The lights that were spinning around her shot high into the sky with a loud _whoosh. _Once deep into the clouds, they morphed together once more and exploded as one. From the clouds of matter that spurted off from the explosion, emerged a beautiful bird that was wrapped tightly within itself. It barrelled rapidly down from the sky and just as it neared the temple, it unfurled its cream wings lined with purple and soared downwards to land next to the summoner. Even though this animal somehow looked threatening yet beautiful all at the same time, the summoner held out her hand and stroked the reddish feathers as though she was holding her baby for the first time. The bird seemed to purr in enjoyment and love for the summoner, pushing its head further into her palm.

As she stepped away from the bird, everyone collectively gasped in admiration as Wakka and the scary companion came rushing forward. Both of them murmured words of what Tidus could only guess to be congratulations to whatever it was she had achieved. Although Tidus didn't understand what was going on here, he knew that whatever it was, it was a huge thing to everyone else. He may as well respect that.

_I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, it was a little scary, but still, I could feel a strange kind of gentleness coming from it._

The bird soared up into the air again, snapping Tidus out of his thoughts again. And just as unexpectedly as it had arrived, it shot of.

_I remember that night we talked for the first time. I didn't know it then but, after that night, everything changed. For everyone. For me. _

Owls hooted overhead as the campfire crackled on absentmindedly. This place was so tranquil at night even though the festivities were still roaring on. Tidus felt then that he could definitely get used to living in a place like this. It would make a nice change from Zanarkand.

Just like that his mood plummeted at the mention of his hometown. He was beginning to feel as though he would never get the chance to go back there. He would never get to play Blitzball with the Zanarkand Abes again.

"Let me introduce you to the team" Wakka said happily as he pushed Tidus closer to the men that were all dressed identically. "This guy here wants into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team." The five men in front of him looked on at Tidus almost sadly. It hit him then that they were expecting to lose. Well, that wasn't a very good team effort! "His memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind him if he says anything odd. Come on, say hi" The hand that was residing on Tidus' shoulder in an effort of comfort, pushed Tidus roughly into his new teammates.

Tidus scratched the back of his head awkwardly. At this moment, he would rather fight with that bird than face these Blitzball players.

"Um…hi guys" Tidus said lamely. They muttered the odd 'hello' back to him, but made no more effort to make conversation with him. It seemed that it was all going to have to be Tidus on this one. "So, what's our goal?" That was how he always sparked the Zanarkand Abes into a good mood back when he was playing professionally. That all seemed like a distant memory to him now.

"TO DO OUR BEST!" They all screamed in unison as they took a stance that looked like they were going to get Tidus in a headlock any minute now. It had the right effect, but they were chanting the wrong words. Doing your best wasn't enough in a Blitzball game. You had to want it and you had to know you were going to get it. Tidus scoffed with a complete lack of appreciation.

"No, we got a new goal now" Wakka explained. "Our new goal is victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team, to bring the crystal cup back to our island. That's all we need to do to win. Easy, ya?" Although Tidus could think of nothing more difficult. The words caught like wildfire. The team muttered 'victory' at first, but it soon spread to a proper chant. As they busied themselves with fulfilling hope, Tidus found his eyes on the summoner once more. Even though she hadn't slept in days and she looked ever so weary and tired out, she still looked perfect. Tidus couldn't explain how he knew this or why he thought this, but he felt as though she was a beacon of light and hope in the dark time that he had found himself in.

She took a small sip of water before watching the chanting in amusement. She smiled happily up at Tidus before turning back to the people she was talking to. As soon as Tidus got the chance to, he scurried away from the loud, bumbling Blitzball players and approached the summoner carefully.

"You heathen" An old voice croaked as Tidus grew closer. Well, that wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"Stay away from the summoner" Another more feminine voice ordered from beside the summoner. Tidus most certainly wasn't wanted here. That much he was sure of.

"You're a bad man" The child shouted up at him, fixing him with a disappointed glare.

"Lady Yuna, be careful" The man warned as she clambered to her feet. She looked down at him with a reassuring smile. It seemed that everyone here felt as though the summoner was very important. Any sign of danger towards her should instantly be squandered.

"But it was really my fault…to begin with" She defended. The man simply gave a resigned sigh as the summoner made her way over to Tidus. "I'm Yuna" She introduced to Tidus. "Thank you so much for your help earlier"

"Huh?" Tidus questioned. Why would she thank him when everyone else seemed to be so annoyed at him for doing it? "Ah, I'm sorry about that. Wasn't that…wasn't I not supposed to…guess I kinda overreacted." This conversation wasn't going the way he had hoped. He wanted to learn more about this interesting woman. He certainly didn't want to stammer over all of his words in front of her.

"Oh no" She retorted with an earnest shake of her head. "I was overconfident."

"Um…I saw that aeon thing" Tidus said, searching for any way to form a conversation with Yuna. "That's amazing!" She brightened up immediately, no longer disappointed in herself for being overconfident.

"Really?" She gasped, a hint of a chuckle in her voice. That was a sound that Tidus wanted to hear more often. "Do you think I can become High Summoner?" She leaned closer to Tidus, waiting expectantly for her answer.

Even though Tidus didn't know what she was talking about or what a High Summoner even was, he found himself nodding his head confidently as answer to her question because he knew that that was the answer that she was looking for. She held her hands over her heart as though the simple movement from Tidus was the biggest compliment she had ever received. Yes, Tidus had done well to nod.

"Lady Yuna, come play with me some more" the youngster demanded, bouncing up and down and tugging on Yuna's hand. It seemed that everyone wanted a little piece of Yuna at some point. She bent down to the point where she was eye-level with the child and took her hands in her own. A miniscule nod was all it took to show agreement between the two. With that, the child scurried off as though a thousand words had passed between that moment that Tidus wasn't aware of.

"So, tomorrow then" Yuna sighed in content.

"Tomorrow?" Tidus inquired. Was there to be another big even tomorrow that Wakka had gotten around to explaining yet?

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?" She asked. Tidus sincerely hoped that they were. This conversation with her had been more exciting than his entire time here.

"Oh, really?" He asked, not believing his luck.

"We can…talk more" She promised. Now that was definitely something that Tidus would be interested in.

"Huh" Was all Tidus managed to get out. He didn't trust his voice all that much at the moment.

"You can…tell me all about Zanarkand" She called back before concluding with a smile and returning to the child. Tidus simply watched her walk back with awe marked on his face ever so abundantly clear. Was that an invitation? Did she well and truly want to spend more time with him? All of these questions were swimming around in his head and all of them seemed more important than finding a way to get back to Zanarkand. At that moment,

"She's cute, ya?" Wakka said from behind Tidus, snapping him out of his thoughts once again. It seemed Wakka had a bad habit of doing that.

"Yeah" Tidus admitted with a coy smile as he continued watching her. He still found it hard to believe that someone could actually be that beautiful.

"Don't get no ideas" Wakka warned with a pointed stare.

"No promises there, big guy" Tidus joked. Well, if he was stuck in this place, he may as well try to get some enjoyment out of it. "Hey, but what if she, like, comes onto me." Yes, Tidus knew it was all just wishful thinking, but it was fun to think it could happen.

"That's not going to happen" Wakka answered, more serious than Tidus thought he would be. He had believed this was all just a bit of fun. Wakka treated Yuna a lot more seriously. It was then that Tidus realised that Wakka was like a big brother to her. "If you get tired let me know. I had a bed made for you" It was obvious that he was trying to change the subject, but Tidus said nothing. He didn't want to work his ticket too much.

"Yeah, I'm ready for bed" Tidus sighed. He had felt a large wave of fatigue sweep over him. It had certainly been a long day for him. He found himself longing for a place to rest his head, so he could mull everything over in his head. He needed to process what had happened to him. He needed to at least try and figure out what was happening. After all, who knew when Sin was going to attack next?

Tidus found himself in a large room filled with other sleepers. There was only one spare bed in the very centre of the room that Tidus lay down upon. There was no covers to keep him warm, just a white sheet and an uncomfortable mattress. There mustn't be any luxuries in Besaid like there are in Zanarkand.

Once Tidus had finally managed to get to sleep in the blue tinted room filled with snores, he was sucked into a dream that he would rather not relive.

_He sat at the dock cross-legged, looking out at the ocean in front of him. He ran down the pier to where Yuna stood, watching the horizon intently._

"Where's that boat" He questioned, with panic in his voice. Something was clearly wrong here.

_"Everyone will find us" Yuna warned, the panic also tinting her voice too. "If it doesn't come soon."_

"You really sure this is okay?" Tidus asked.

_"Would you take me to Zanarkand?" Yuna asked, completely ignoring his question. _

_"Hey!" A voice said from behind Tidus. He turned rapidly to see Rikku standing behind him with hurt marking her usually cheerful and fun-loving face. "You said you'd go with me."_

_"Oh hey, I…um" He stammered, not sure how to deal with two girls wanting to spend time with him at once. _

"_I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas" Rikku accused. _

_"He did?" Yuna questioned, looking back out at the water as though trying to search for answer as to why Wakka would want Tidus staying away from her. _

_"Uh" Tidus stuttered. He had no clue how to make this situation any better._

"_Yeah, so you're coming with me!" Rikku demanded as she looked at Tidus possessively. _

_"Hey! Stop dreaming!" A rough voice scolded. "You with a woman? You can't even catch a ball." Jecht. Why did he always have to put him down and ruin everything? "Aw, what's the matter? Gonna cry again? Cry. Cry. That's the only thing you're good for."_

"I hate you" Tidus declared, now taking on the form of his younger self as Yuna and Rikku stood at either side of Jecht.

_"Huh? What did you say?" Jecht question, a smug smirk antagonizing Tidus as though he had no care in the world about what Tidus thought. _

_"You have to speak loudly" Yuna supported. Her voice was like his saviour. As soon as she spoke, it was like Jecht could no longer bully him. It was like he could finally stand up to Jecht and tell him how he really felt and what was really on his mind. _

_"I hate you" Tidus shouted with all of these years of loathing and hatred backing it up. It was empowering. It was like now he started, he couldn't stop. Yuna had opened the floodgates. _

"_Eh?" Jecht questioned as though he hadn't been expecting Tidus to actually open up and stand his ground._

_"That's the spirit" Rikku cheered, giving a few claps of her own which only served in cheering up Tidus even more. He could do this. _

_"You can do it!" Yuna assured, adding to his confidence. _

"I HATE YOU" Tidus screamed as he jumped up from his bed, breathing heavily as the reality of what had just happened seeped into him. How can Jecht do this to him? He had been gone for ten years and he was still getting to him. It simply wasn't fair.

"He's dead, okay?" A voice snapped from outside of the tent. Tidus recognised it immediately as that woman who had chilled him to the bone when he first met Yuna. His breathing slowed as he strained to listen to what was being said. "Dead." It was no use. He could barely hear the words being uttered between them. He sneaked closer to the opening, so he could hear better. "He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!"

"Yeah but…he needed our help" Wakka defended. Tidus was surprised he had managed to stand up to her.

"Excuses _again_?" She hissed, venom dripping from her words. Tidus made a mental note to never get on the wrong side of her because he believed it could very well be the last thing he ever does.

"Yeah…but" Wakka stammered.

"That's it. No more." She finalised. "Enough, Wakka!" With that, she turned and stormed away, the chains and belts rattling as she went. Wakka began to go after her, but only made it a few steps before deciding against it. It seemed as though it would be a wasted effort anyway when she's in a rage like that.

Wakka sulked away and headed straight to the tent to see Tidus standing by his bed. He gave a resigned sigh as he leaned against the bedside table.

"Sca-ry" Tidus commented, glad he wasn't on the receiving end of her wrath. "So, who's Chappu?"

"My little brother" Wakka answered sadly. Tidus could immediately tell that this was a sore subject for Wakka. "Chappu…he looked like you."

"He's dead?" Tidus asked in shock. Back in Zanarkand, a death was a big thing. It may not be like that here for all he knew. Wakka sat down on the bed and gestured for Tidus to sit down on the one next to him. This was going to be a long conversation.

"He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year…he didn't make it" Wakka mumbled. "I first heard on the day of the tournament."

"Oh, so that's why" Tidus commented as the pieces of the jigsaw began to fit together.

"I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?" Wakka explain, puffing his chest out admirably.

"Revenge, then?" Tidus asked, trying to make sense of this mystery.

"That was the idea" Wakka confirmed. "I'm more worried about a stupid game now than avenging my brother. Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you, but I'm not."

"Don't worry" Tidus assured. "I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out, y'know? What I mean is" He stood up and smiled down at the sad looking islander. "Thanks, Wakka." He held out a hand of friendship that Wakka scoffed at.

"Stop" He said as he swatted playfully at Tidus' hand. "You're embarrassing me." The Blitzer gave a laugh as he took his seat back on the bed and lay down, falling into a peaceful slumber as Wakka told stories about old times with Chappu.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Again, I deeply apologise about not updating for half a year! But I'm back now! The next chapter will be all based on the journey out of Besaid and onto the boat. Oh, and I would love it if you could vote on the poll on my profile to help me out! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**_

* * *

_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	5. SS Liki

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

_**Thank you ever so much to everyone who read the previous chapter despite how long it took me to update for it. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please keep the feedback coming. It's really helpful!**_

_**THANK YOU:**_

_**w1n3t0n**__**: Thank you very much for waiting so long for the previous chapter and thanks for coming back after half a year! Anyway, I took your opinion into consideration and I edited the previous chapter. I hope you find it better and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Chapter Five: S.S. Liki**_

For the first time since Tidus' world had been turned upside down, he woke up peacefully and fully aware of where he was. For that he was immensely grateful. He hadn't realised how important those things were. He had no idea where he was going to or what would happen to him when he left this tent, but for now he was sure of himself and that was enough to keep him grounded and calm…at least for a little while.

Slowly, he pushed himself off the bed and ignored the creak of protest his leg muscles were giving him. He really had stayed up a long time last night. He was yet to find the time to get some proper rest.

Despite the pain he was feeling, Tidus strolled out of the tent and into the bright sunlight of the village. The breeze from the sea was enough to wake him up properly. It wasn't quite what he would call harsh, but it was certainly something he wouldn't miss when he got back to Zanarkand. If he got back to Zanarkand.

"Hey, sleepyhead" Wakka called as Tidus approached them with more energy than what he had when he got out of bed just a few minutes prior. "Something I wanna give ya." From behind him, he pulled a gleaming sword the colour of the sky overhead. It glistened as the rays of the warming sun shone down upon it. As soon as it was in the hands of the Blitzer, he knew that he was holding something special. The hefty sword was powerful and fit for a king.

"Woah!" Tidus breathed as he turned the sword over and over in his hands to inspect the sword even more closely. All he could see was perfection. He believed that he could look for hours and not find a fault with it. "You're giving this…to me?" Shock wasn't even the word for how Tidus was feeling right now. He simply couldn't understand why a man who he barely knew would go to all of this trouble to help him out and then give him such an exuberating sword. Surely this couldn't all be just because he looked like Chappu…could it?

"Yeah, use it well" Wakka advised as he beamed down at the sword as though he was sending his child off to school for the first time. Tidus realised then that not only was this sword a good weapon, it was sentimental. Tidus could only guess that it must have been Chappu's at some point from when he was alive.

Tidus held the sword high above his head and watched as the bubbles of pure water glided up and down the blade. From this angle it seemed as though the sword was actually made of cerulean water. He brought the blade down again in a practice swing to hear it slice through the air. Yes, he could certainly get used to having a sword like this around. He had only had it for a few minutes, yet he already felt as though it was his right arm.

"That's the sword you gave Chappu" A quiet voice commented and Tidus instantly knew it belonged to that scary woman from the temple last night…the one who obviously had a soft spot for this Chappu guy. Tidus stopped swinging the sword and let it hang by his side guiltily. He didn't want to start opening old wounds for Wakka.

"Well, he never used it" Wakka said sadly. Was that because he didn't get a chance? Was it because he died before he was able to? Although Tidus wanted all of these questions answered, he knew he couldn't ask for fear of upsetting Wakka more than what he already appeared to be. "Where's Yuna?" He asked abruptly as an obvious change of topic.

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right?" Tidus asked, telling himself it was a way to humour Wakka to stop him from being sad once more, but Tidus knew deep down it was because he really wanted to know and he sure as hell hoped Yuna was taking the same boat as him. "Why do we gotta wait here?" He was itching to get going. He could discern if it was because he wanted to begin this adventure because he didn't know how long it was going to last. Or it could have been because he believed that the quicker they got going, the quicker he would find his way back to Zanarkand. Or it could have been because the dream he had last night freaked him out more than he cared to let on. He didn't want to miss the boat after all. He kept thinking that it was a possibility that if they didn't start making tracks soon, Jecht was going to mysteriously appear and start putting him down again like he did so many times when Tidus was just a kid.

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago when the last Calm started" Wakka began. Aha, it was only the beginning of this story and Tidus was already growing confused. Would this ever get easier for him? He was beginning to doubt it would.

"The Calm?" He questioned, rubbing the back of his head as he felt shame wash over him over not knowing what this stuff was. "People were going to grow sick of helping him, he just knew it."

"Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu" Wakka continued as though Tidus hadn't even asked a question. The ignorance of his questions was beginning already. It was a little sooner than Tidus had been thinking, but it was happening. "But she had the talent. She became an apprentice. Now today…she leaves as a Summoner."

"This is our journey" Lulu said. "We should leave together." So, she held an emotion that wasn't anger? Tidus never would have believed it. It was then that Tidus began to respect this woman. After all, she was protecting Yuna.

Before anyone could say anything else on the matter, a clunk sounded in the direction of the temple. When Tidus turned to see what it was, he found Yuna heaving a, what looked to be an incredibly heavy, suitcase after her with great discomfort and awkwardness. She managed to steady it upright before looking at the village and her two guardians with love and what seemed to be a little sadness. Tidus just assumed it was because she was leaving her home. At least she'd be able to come back to it.

"You really don't need all that luggage" Lulu called up to her with a hint of amusement in her voice like a mother explaining something to a toddler than just couldn't understand no matter how much they tried and wanted to.

"Uh…they're not really my things" Yuna explained as she looked at the suitcase proudly. "They're gifts for the temples we're to visit." Tidus didn't think it was possible for one girl to be so loving and thoughtful, but Yuna had just managed to completely prove him wrong.

"This isn't a vacation, Yuna" Wakka reminded as he shook his head resignedly. Tidus felt such an overwhelming urge to help her out with that suitcase and demand that she be allowed to take it with her to give to the temples. He couldn't explain why. After all, he didn't really want to give presents to a bunch of religious folk that he couldn't understand…but he wanted to help Yuna and he wanted to do something good for once.

"I guess…I guess you're right" Yuna sighed. With one last look at the suitcase, she followed them to the centre of the village, looking as though she was hoping for a last goodbye with it. This was where she had grown up. Surely she must want some time to think about what was to come. Tidus knew that that is what he would want if he was in her shoes. It was a shame he didn't have the chance to say goodbye to his. The water swept him away too quickly. Auron dropped him from the bridge too rapidly. His goodbye to Zanarkand was simply an array of different colours, sweltering heat and sounds of explosions.

"Okay, off we go" Wakka finalised, walking at the front with Lulu by his side, whereas Tidus opted for a more relaxed companion to walk with. At least that's what he thought. He continued walking, not seeing Yuna stop and turn back to face the temple where she prayed. Later, Tidus would realise that that was the utmost sign of respect that she could possibly give.

She re-banded with the other three as though nothing had happened and, rather sadly, they all trudged on.

They had barely even made it a few steps up the gravel slope before they were attacked. This worked better for Tidus. The past few days had been emotional and confusing ones. During this fight, Tidus knew that his mind would deter from that and finally give him a break. Hell, even in his sleep his mind had tortured him.

"Here comes one now" Wakka warned, already taking on a stance of a true fighter. Tidus didn't know if he could ever seem that tough and confident in a fight…especially not when his opponent was slobbering all over the place and baring his teeth and the Blitzer. "Hey, why don't you try out that new sword I gave you?"

Tidus only hesitated for a moment before plunging the sword deep within the coyote in front of him. He was shocked by how smooth the sword went in. It must have been incredibly sharp for it to go in as easily as that. Barely any power was needed for it to pierce the coyote. With a pain-filled yelp, the coyote slumped to the floor and twitched a few times before stilling in death.

"No problem!" Tidus said in a suave manner as he tried to ignore the looks he was getting of Yuna. Even if this animal had been trying to rip out _her _throat, she would have probably felt guilty about killing it. After all, she was just that kind of person. He should have known. A girl who wanted to take gifts to temples would surely hate the idea of killing another living creature even if it did have gnashing, bone-breaking teeth.

"Not too shabby. You kept up with him pretty well" Wakka complimented as Tidus breathed heavily. He didn't want to admit it, but killing that coyote took more out of him than he cared to let on. "Might make a good guardian someday" Now that was the greatest compliment of all that Tidus could have ever expected. It seemed that even though he knew nothing of this world or any of its customs, he could still find a way to fit in if getting back to Zanarkand didn't work out for him…but he mustn't think like that. He must believe that he's going to get back to Zanarkand if he wants it to work out.

A grave-turning croak stopped Tidus from thinking any more of it as they were assailed once more. The coyote's yelp had probably attracted this large, blue bird and Tidus was willing to bet his life on the fact that even more would be coming soon.

"A flyer" Wakka explained as he looked up at the pecking bird with a ferocity that Tidus didn't think Wakka would have ever been able to manage. "My kind of customer." Wakka pulled his arm back before pelting the Blitzball straight for the bird. The ball moved so fast that the blue and white were no longer separate colours. Instead they ended up being a mixture as the ball hit the bird right on the beak with a dull thud and loud crack that was probably making Yuna's stomach turn. The bird crumpled into a heap on the floor, the bones in the neck looked broken as the bird curled in on itself for its last few moments of life before the light left the bird's eyes and it stopped moving altogether.

The four of them trooped up the slope with heavy breaths and sweat dripping from their foreheads. Tidus found himself beginning to wonder if this adventure was really worth him going. Was it always just going to be lots of running, fights and sweating? If it was Tidus didn't want any part of it.

But then his eyes fell on Yuna. She barely even looked tired. It was as though she had this huge determination driving her onwards and no amount of pain or suffering could stop her on whatever it is she needed to do. That was what made Tidus suck it up. That was what made him stop complaining about what they were doing.

The next fiend that pounced on them was unlike any that Tidus had seen before. It's body ebbed and flowed and it seemed to be made of some translucent jelly. The very core of this beast was a dark blue, but on the edges it was a very faint blue that Tidus' eye was almost unable to detect.

"That looks like trouble" Wakka said delicately as though a firm voice may dub it into attacking them. Tidus couldn't see how this was a problem. After all, they had killed a coyote and a gigantic bird back there. A little jelly shouldn't be so hard to take care of, right?

"Ha, watch this!" Tidus chuckled confidently as he sprang forwards and plunged the sword into the jelly. As soon as it sucked the sword in, it was almost impossible to pull it back in. It was as though the whole enemy was this giant suction pad. Try as he might, Tidus couldn't get the sword back out. He pulled and pulled, but the jelly just stretched along with it, not allowing Tidus to break the hold it had on his sword. With one final tug, he yanked it out…or the monster released it, but he wasn't entirely sure. The latter seemed more likely to be correct. With a dull and embarrassing thud, he fell to the floor and had to scramble away with haste before the jelly monster managed to suck him up too.

"Told ya" Wakka said with a faint hint of amusement in his voice that only managed to anger Tidus even more. He had been taken down by some jelly. How much worse could things possibly get right now. "Only magic can beat that thing. If you can't beat 'em down, you gotta use magic of an element they don't like" Tidus wasn't sure if any of that was actually supposed to make sense to him.

"Magic? Element?" Tidus questioned, still feeling the pain of his fall. Why couldn't people just start using words that he actually understood?

"Let's have our black mage show you what I mean" Wakka suggested. At least someone could clear this up for him. "Lu, you're up." Lulu approached him with a smug smirk on her face. Apparently things could get worse. Where he fails, Lulu succeeds. He was never going to be able to live this one down.

"Clueless aren't you?" Lulu commented, clearly taking joy in how little Tidus knew. At least somebody did. "Good thing I'm here. Spells of ice work well against fire fiends and ice fiends are weak against fire magic." It all sounded like common sense to Tidus now. Perhaps all this magic rubbish wasn't as hard to understand as he thought it would be. "You follow?"

"I get fire and ice, but what about lightning and water?" He asked, hoping that once they were explained to him, they would be just as easy to understand as fire and ice were.

"Lightning and water are opposed" Lulu explained. Okay, that was easy enough for Tidus to remember, but he still didn't understand how they were opposed. All of this magic nonsense held no logic whatsoever. "Just like fire and ice. This one here is a water fiend which means…"

"I get it" Tidus waved off. "Water's opposed by lightning." At this, Lulu held up her arm. Suddenly, bursts of white light shot out from around her and encased her in their shine. It reminded Tidus very much like when Yuna summoned the aeon. A sound so beautiful met Tidus' ears. It was like someone had dropped a thousand tiny crystals onto a marble flooring and allowed them to skate around the room freely. With a sharp _thwack, _the colours morphed into one and a bolt of lightning struck down and impaled the beast right in its centre causing it to implode into a million, tiny pieces that emanated a smell of smoke so rotten that Tidus' eyes began to water.

They walked further and further until they reached the cliff edge that overlooked the village of Besaid. Yuna and Lulu stopped at the very edge and looked down upon it with an emotion that Tidus couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried.

"Take your time" Lulu finally said, breaking the silence that was crackling around them. Oh, so it was Yuna who was feeling the homesickness already. It was sad to see her look so vulnerable like that. It was almost cruel. Why couldn't she spend her life at home if that's what she wanted?

"Let's get going, man" Tidus said impatiently as he waved for Yuna to pay attention to him, but she was too transfixed with looking at Besaid. Tidus could still feel that sense of uneasiness surrounding him. What if they missed the boat?

"We're gonna wait" Wakka retorted, fixing Tidus with a pointed look that told him not to argue with him. Whatever this moment transpiring between these three was, Tidus knew that he shouldn't interrupt it any more than he already had.

"Huh?" Was all he said. Why was this such a big thing for them? They could come back at some point if they really wanted.

"Are…you ready?" Wakka asked as Yuna turned away from the cliff edge and made back towards path they had been following. She only nodded and gave a small grunt as an answer. Something told Tidus that she was holding back tears and that was why she didn't speak. Tidus knew how that felt…not daring to speak in case people realised that you were upset.

Lulu and Wakka shared a small nod before following Yuna obediently as Tidus simply watched them go about their business in confusion. He was really beginning to feel out of the loop now. Was it always going to be like this?

"What's…uh going on?" He asked, although he knew straight away that he wasn't going to get an answer from any of them.

Instead of getting an answer, Tidus found himself standing in front of the stone cylinder whilst Wakka knelt in front of it. He had passed it on his way down here, but still didn't have all that much interest in it.

"It's an ancient custom" Wakka began. Was it really that obvious that Tidus didn't have a clue what he was doing? Was Tidus really that predictable? That was a question he didn't even have to ask because he had an answer all ready at his disposal. Yes, he was just that predictable. "People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip. Chappu…didn't pray that day…said he'd miss his boat." If Wakka blamed not praying for Chappu's death, then it was no wonder that he felt so strongly about it. As an act of support, Tidus mimicked everything that Wakka was doing. Praying couldn't hurt him now. At this point in time, he was willing to try anything that may ensure his safety. He had been attacked too much lately. "That should do it" Wakka finally said as he stood back up and continued walking, gesturing for the others to follow. All Tidus could think about was how Wakka needed to start showing emotion instead of changing the subject every time he gets a little upset.

Further on, Tidus found shade in the midst of some palm trees and some ancient ruins that were strewn all over the place as though nobody had bothered trying to keep this place looking tidy. It was almost as though it had been allowed to grow naturally. Perhaps that was how they did things in this place. Back in Zanarkand, everything was maintained. Everything had a place and everything was in its place. To disturb that would be worse than sinning. The reasoning behind it was because it was a tourist place, it had to look appealing. When Tidus thought about it now, he began to think that was a silly reason. There were much more important things than appearances.

It happened when Tidus took a moment to appreciate Besaid. It was when he was realising that Besaid wasn't just some island. It was a place of worship and beauty. That was when a low growl emanated from above him and down came pouncing a blue creature that was moving so fast that all Tidus could see was a blur as he desperately tried to back away, but there was no way he would ever be able to get away fast enough. It landed on the ground hard, causing it to shudder violently, almost making Tidus lose his footing in the process. The blue being shook threateningly as it poised for an attack. That was when recognition hit Tidus. It was the blue creature from the cloister of trials that had caught Yuna before she fell down a flight of stairs.

It made a fist that looked big enough to cover Tidus' whole head and slammed it back into the ground, rippling the surface and nearly knocking Tidus over yet again before letting out an ear-splitting roar.

It lunged straight for Tidus and, despite Tidus trying desperately to get away, grabbed him by his blonde hair before yanking roughly upward. Tidus saw stars as he was lifted from the ground by a few strands of hair that he began praying would just rip out and end this awful torture. His vision swam in and out of focus as his eyes fell upon Yuna who went from looking worried and frightened for him to then looking like a squashed mess because his vision had blurred once more.

He hung there for about thirty seconds before the creature dropped him roughly back onto the ground, so he sagged into himself. He could hear the footsteps of the beast circling around him as though it was waiting for Tidus to get back up, so it could finish their fight.

Just as Tidus lay on his back and looked up at his attacker, it raised a foot and made to stamp on his face. Tidus knew that an attack like that could finish him off so, with lightning fast reflexes, he rolled out of the way just as the foot came crashing down. It sounded as though it had almost split the planet in two.

In frustration, the beast let out another roar which bought Tidus enough time to plan his own attack. He only managed to get in two clean punches before his fist was caught in mid-air and twisted painfully.

"AGH!" He screamed in agony, clawing at the assailant's face, but it did no good. "Lemme go!"

"That's enough!" Tidus heard Wakka's voice demand. At least someone around here finally came to their senses and put a stop to this insane attack. The beast didn't look like it wanted to stop, but it was clear that Wakka was the one who put out the orders around here. So, hesitantly, it unclenched its fists and staggered away.

"Eh, what's with that guy?" Tidus asked as he rubbed his head painfully. That blue guy really knew how to pull hair in the worst way possible.

"Kimahri Ronso of the Ronso tribe" Lulu introduced as this 'Kimahri' guy trudged away. "He's learned the fiend's way of fighting." Well, Tidus didn't need to be told that twice.

"That's not what I meant" Tidus pointed out as he folded his arms across his chest defensively.

"He's another of Yuna's guardians" Wakka supplied. What? How could a guy as impulsive and reckless as that be trusted to protect Yuna?

"Huh?" Tidus questioned. How could they all be acting so normal about all of this? It was so wrong.

In the midst of all of Tidus' questions, Yuna let out a loud laugh that reminded him of a teenage girl without a care in the world. It reminded him of how she should be. She shouldn't have to be so stressed out all the time.

"Sometimes we don't understand him either" She giggled as she stood right in front of Tidus and fixed him with a warm smile. "Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway." Wakka simply nodded and grunted in agreement. "But he has protected me since I was a child." And just like that, Tidus began to feel guilty for ever questioning Kimahri's ways. He let out a deep breath as I thought about the reasons as to why Kimahri attacked him.

Without even waiting for Tidus, the group continued on and left Tidus to simply follow in their footsteps.

The rest of the walk was rather uneventful and, for once, Tidus was able to think without being interrupted abruptly. The walk to the boat felt like some sort of magical journey to Tidus. The beauty here was a one that he had never known back home. A simple waterfall managed to cascade into a sheet of glimmering, gleaming, shimmering crystals that danced through the overgrown, bright green plants before settling in a cave that flooded back to the ocean.

The ground began to feel softer and Tidus noticed that they were now walking on sand that was growing thicker and denser with every step. Surely they must be near the boat now. As Tidus rounded the corner, his jaw dropped at the sheer mass of people who were waiting by the boat docked at the pier.

As he walked through the flock of villagers, he was given gifts and words of advice as though he truly was one of them. 'Please look after Lady Yuna.' One had said to him. He made a silent vow to protect her for as long as he could. He couldn't explain why he did it, but he knew it was something he had to stick to.

Tidus followed the group onto the pier and then onto the boat as he watched the villagers waving at them. Some were crying as they shouted kind words to the summoner. Why would they be crying? Shouldn't this be a happy time? It's not like they're never going to see her again.

Yuna waved back delightedly, ignoring the tears as though this was just a happy experience for her. The boat pulled away from the dock and set sail in the mighty waters…all the while Yuna hung over the edge and continued to wave. At the last moment, she prayed to them as she said, "Goodbye."

The island grew smaller and smaller as the boat continued sailing smoothly over the calm waters of Besaid until all that was left was a tiny black dot on the horizon and a vast expanse of water that was darkening as they went further and deeper into the ocean.

After only a few moments of looking out at the water and the sky, Tidus found himself growing bored. After all, he didn't even know how long he was going to be on this boat for. He certainly didn't know where they were all going. He had to find entertainment some way or the other.

Teasing other passengers on board and stealing binoculars to see if the destination was nearing could only keep him entertained for so long. He gazed through the binoculars to find Yuna striding past others with Kimahri close behind her. Without him even noticing, the binoculars followed her. It was almost as though they had a mind of their own. He was too transfixed to even notice when she caught him and waved over.

Why couldn't he move his arm? It couldn't possibly be that hard. He had done it several times in his life. Slowly, he waved back trying to ignore the rigidity of his arm. She most certainly was one of a kind.

"Come to think of it, I haven't told you where we're going" Wakka said, breaking Tidus' trance as Yuna walked away in that elegant manner of hers. "First to Kilika Island. Then we change boats and head for Luca." Tidus wondered if Wakka actually thought Tidus had a clue on what he was talking about. He had never heard of Kilika in his life. Well, Luca he had heard of. Rikku had mentioned it once when he was on the other boat that was attacked. She said someone may recognise him there. He sure as hell hoped so. "Fore that though, Yuna's gotta pray at the temple. I'll be guarding. We'll be praying for the Aurochs victory, so you come along, ya?"

"Great plan" A cold voice mocked and Tidus turned to find Lulu watching the two with a bemused expression. It was clear that Lulu didn't have the foggiest how important Blitzball was. Or perhaps Wakka and Tidus were just a little over-enthusiastic. Yes, the latter was probably correct.

"Hey, it is a great plan" Wakka defended as though this plan was his new-born child.

"Don't look at me" Tidus protested as he waved his arms frantically in protest. The last thing he wanted to do was get in the middle of a fight between Lulu and Wakka. He was almost sure that if he did, he would lose a limb no matter who he was defending.

As Tidus scurried away to get away from the arguing, he found himself in a brightly lit, warm room with only a few passengers in. It looked like the perfect place for Tidus to lie low for a little while.

"Ooh, fascinating clothes you're wearing" A croaky voice said from behind him. When Tidus turned around, he found a scraggly dressed man with gladiator sandals strapped onto his scruffy feet that didn't look as though they had been washed for weeks. "Ugh, filthy, filthy. These won't sell." Well, he was a fine one to talk about being filthy. "Oh, me name's not O'aka. Don't look like you've got much money either. I've no business with ya. Outta me way."

"Who do you think you are?" Tidus scoffed, surely hoping that this didn't turn into a fight. He didn't think Yuna would be too happy if he clocked this O'aka guy one.

"O'aka 23rd, merchant extraordinaire" He introduced. Why did it have to be such a mouthful?

"O'aka the who?" Tidus asked, almost wishing that he hadn't bothered coming down here.

"Don't know me?" O'aka asked sadly. Was he supposed to be some famous person in this world? If he was, what was he doing hiding on a boat and insulting passengers? "Well, not many do." Oh good, so everyone else was in the same position as he was too. "Not yet."

When he finally managed to get away, he walked through a heavy door into a room that was nosier than the whole of Zanarkand on the evening of a Blitzball match. Inside there was whirling metal spheres with huge yellow birds sprinting as though their lives depended on it. What on Earth was this room?

"Wh-what the heck is that?" Tidus questioned as he attempted to discern this. The woman who was standing by the birds turned to face him as though he truly was stupid.

"Wh-what the heck is what?" She asked as she gestured around the room as though in search of something that was out of the ordinary.

"What is this place?" Tidus asked.

"The power room…like it says on the door" She answered. Her eyes showed Tidus that she was growing freaked out. Perhaps the excuse of Sin's toxin would be able to help here.

"Yeah, but why the big birds?" Tidus asked…wouldn't electricity be enough?

"What's so strange about Chocobo power?" She asked with a laugh, now humouring him. So, Chocobo power was another thing to add on the list of things that were different between this place and Zanarkand.

"Chocobo's? Those are Chocobo's?" Tidus asked as he regarded the birds that were still galloping along warily.

"What? You've never seen a Chocobo?" She questioned with all the shock on her face that she could muster. Her words began to irritate Tidus. Was it honestly that big a deal that he didn't know anything about Chocobo's? "What kind of back water island did you come from, anyway?"

_Miracles and oddities were starting to become daily routine on this trip._

He gave a disgruntled sigh as he made his way back onto the deck, enjoying the blast of cold and fresh air that greeted him as he swung the door open widely.

Seeing a large crowd, he just couldn't resist. Back in Zanarkand, he had always enjoyed being the centre of attention. It was almost as though there was something in his body that just dragged him to crowds. So, naturally, he sprinted over to this one and peered over the shoulders of others to get a good look.

"Word is, that Summoner's got noble blood" One of them said as he craned his neck around others.

"I heard she's Lord Braska's daughter" His companion contributed, mimicking the others actions. Finally, Tidus managed to make out the radiant face of Yuna. She was regarding everyone warmly and with the utmost respect. Tidus didn't know how she managed it. He would have hated to be harassed like this.

"Ya don't say" His friend shot back.

"Lord Braska's daughter?" Tidus questioned from behind them. He should have been given a handbook to this world. It would have probably saved a lot of time and embarrassment. The only answer he received was a grunt. It was as though these people just didn't want to help him. "So, is Yuna's father famous or something?" He asked Wakka, knowing that he would get a better answer out of him. At least Wakka actually wanted to help.

"She's the daughter of High Summoner Braska" Wakka stated proudly, puffing his chest out as though trying to show a sign of respect. "You saw his statue at the temple. Lord Braska defeated Sin ten years ago. Yuna's the heir to a great legacy."

Tidus knew how that felt. He understood then how much pressure she must be under. After all, he had always constantly been compared to Jecht which practically caused him to go insane about Blitzball. It was as though his only goal in life was to be better than Jecht. Nothing else mattered as long as he was the one on top. If Yuna was feeling anything like that, she was concealing it a lot better than he did.

"It's tough…when your father's famous" Tidus mused as he watched how happy she looked. Was it a mask? Or was she genuinely just that pleased to be there?

"Huh?" Wakka asked as he shot Tidus a look of confusion. That was most certainly a slip-up on his behalf.

"Wakka's a bit…lacking in the imagination department" Lulu chipped in almost as though she was teasing him. And then his respect for her notched up even higher.

"Thanks, Lulu. I'll keep that in mind" Tidus laughed as Wakka tried to figure out if he was being insulted or not. Winding the redhead up was sure as hell a lot of fun. It seemed as though fun was going to be a little hard to find on this trip…especially when every five minutes he had to ask a new question that everyone except him knew the answer to.

After a few more moments of idle conversation, Tidus approached Yuna. After all, she had told him that on the boat they would be able to talk more. Surely that meant that she would have wanted him to approach her, right?

She now stood alone on the bow of the ship, watching the water so intently that she didn't even hear Tidus creep up the steps until he was right behind her. She turned and flashed him another of his warm smiles. He stood next to her, letting out a loud yawn as he stretched his arms out wide. He leaned on to the rope of the boat and allowed the sea spray to wash his face in the most refreshing way possible. It was comfortable here with Yuna. They didn't even have to talk. It was just a nice moment to be with someone who didn't judge him for not knowing anything about this place.

"The wind" She said softly, breaking the silence around them. "It's nice." Her voice was ever so relaxing.

"Hmm" Tidus nodded in agreement. And the he let out this loud chuckle as Yuna giggled much more eloquently. It was possibly the most ridiculous conversation two people could ever have, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

"You're a Blitzball player, aren't you?" She asked once her laughter had finally died away. "From Zanarkand, right?"

"You…hear that from Wakka?" Tidus asked, knowing that if she had, there would be no way that she would believe him. Wakka only thought that Tidus was joking about Zanarkand.

She gave a nod that made Tidus' hear plummet. It was just another person to add to the list of people who didn't believe him.

"Wakka…Wakka doesn't believe me at all" Tidus muttered sadly. This was certainly not the conversation he had been hoping for with her. He leaned back on the ropes and let his head hang in disappointment and annoyance.

Yuna, sensing his sadness, took a few steps back and stood proudly and formally in front of him. "But…I believe you."

That was something Tidus hadn't expected. As annoyed as he may be by the fact that most people didn't believe him, he could understand why they didn't. They had just met him, why would they change everything they believe because a few wild stories from him? He couldn't understand how Yuna could just place her trust in him like she was.

"Huh?" He breathed.

"I've heard in Zanarkand, there is a great stadium all lit up even at night" She said in wonder as though her eyes were picturing what Zanarkand would like right now. "Great Blitzball tournaments are held there and the stands are always full."

"How do you know that?" Tidus asked, shooting up from the rope and almost cornering her in his desperation. If she knew that, perhaps she knew how Tidus could get back there.

"A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian" She answered as her eyes lit up in wonder and admiration.

Tidus felt as though his heart had stopped dead in his chest. Jecht was not a common name. This couldn't possibly be a coincidence. No, he was being silly. It had to be a different man. His dad was dead.

"Je- Jecht" Tidus muttered under his breath. At just the mention of his name, Tidus became bitter and angry once more just like the day he found out that his old man had gone missing.

Yuna simply regarded him coolly, knowing that he would eventually tell her when he was ready. For now, she remained confused as she tried to figure out how someone could talk bad about the Jecht that she knew. He was a brilliant man.

"My father…his name is Jecht." Tidus spat. He didn't want to talk about this. He knew it would just get him angry again. Yuna didn't deserve to have to see him like this.

"Amazing" Yuna gasped, once again praying. It annoyed Tidus even more. Jecht didn't deserve the prayer. He wasn't good enough for it. "You know our meeting like this must be a blessing of Yevon" She concluded as she rushed forward and clutched onto the rope, staring at Tidus intently.

"Sounds like him, but it can't be him" Tidus sighed sadly. As much as he may despise his old man, he would still have liked to know what happened to him when he disappeared. All of this not knowing business was tiring.

"Why not?" She asked, the excitement flooding from her voice.

"My old man…he died" Tidus revealed, refusing to meet Yuna's eyes. If he saw those soft eyes looking down into his, he didn't know what he might do. "Ten years ago…off the coast of Zanarkand."

Yuna flinched and whispered, "I'm sorry." Death seemed to be a sore subject for her.

"He went out to sea for training one day…and never came back" Tidus sighed as he thought back to that day. Seeing his mother crying for his dad to come back. The whole of Zanarkand in an uproar and every resident looking for Jecht as though it was their own child. As all of this was going on, Tidus had just sat there and was glad that his old man was gone. "And no one's seen him since then."

Yuna let out a loud gasp before whirling round to Tidus and revealing, "Why that's the day that Jecht came to Spira!"

Tidus attempted to come up with a reason as to why this couldn't possibly be true. Anything that would serve as proof for how this couldn't possibly be true.

"It's true!" She pressed on. "I first met Jecht ten years and three months ago. I remember that was the day…my father left. The date fits, doesn't it?"

Well, he couldn't argue with the laws of numbers and time. He gave a nervous chuckle before saying, "Yeah, but…how would he get here?"

"You're here, are you not?" She questioned with a smile. She had done it again. She had managed to completely stump him with her logic. She simply raised her eyebrows and gave another of her heavenly chuckles. She was a lot smarter than she looked.

Suddenly, the boat jerked roughly and Yuna let out a surprised gasp as she went tumbling. He clutched onto her hand, keeping himself supported on the rope. She swung from side to side, clutching at his other hand for more support before she went tumbling overboard.

They slammed through wave after wave, sending water streaming over the boat and knocking even more people off their feet. The boat wobbled viciously on the waves that were blocking the sounds of screaming.

As the boat veered into a whole new direction, Yuna and Tidus spun around, their grips on each other loosening. If this went on for much longer, they would fall overboard. There wasn't much more strength left in Yuna's frail arm. Slowly, their hands slipped from each other's. No matter how much Tidus tried to regain his grasp on her, she just slipped further until she went tumbling down.

"No!" He shouted, still clutching at empty air even though there was nothing he could do at this point. Just as Tidus began to think that it could be the end of the road for Yuna, Kimahri came bounding out of nowhere like a spider catching pretty. He wrapped his arms around her and Tidus was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

This relief didn't last long.

From the water, emerged a huge fin that Tidus knew all too well. Every time he's seen it, bad things happened. This was the thing that had sent him to Spira in the first place. This was the thing that had ruined everything for him.

This was Sin.

"SIN!" A man roared, causing all chaos as people scrambled away in fear. Tidus was simply paralysed. How is it that he keeps running into this thing? Was it following him or something?

A few tried to get a glimpse of the huge fin that was sure to wipe that out any minute, but most just searched for impossible ways to escape this attack. Upon finding nothing, most crumbled into a sobbing heap as though they had already accepted death. One lunged at what Yuna had been holding on to with a murderous gaze.

"What do you think you're doing?" Wakka exclaimed in outrage at him. "Stick a harpoon in him and we'll all get dragged under."

"Sin is going for Kilika" The man defended, still aiming with that same steely glint in his eye. A man this angry should not be trusted with a harpoon. "We gotta distract it. Our families are in Kilika." Tidus knew straight away that at the mention of family, Yuna would be all for it. "Forgive us, Lady Summoner." She nodded, believing that protecting others was more important than her own life.

"Wait!" Wakka shouted just as the man was about to shoot. "O, boy!"

The harpoons launched from the contraption and spiralled straight for the fin with a speed that Tidus could only begin to imagine. They plunged deep into it with a dull thud and a burst of smoke. The rope went slicing into the water before springing back up, so strained it looked ready to snap in two at any given moment. Holding this beast was going to be a lot of work.

As soon as the harpoons were embedded into the scaly exterior of Sin, the boat went speeding and crashing through waves much quicker than it had before. Water spilled over the boat incessantly, threatening to sink it or wash people overboard. Even worse yet, the strength of Sin threatened to flip the boat over completely and send everyone to their deaths.

Ironically, Tidus stopped thinking of death when he was put under direct attack. At least at this moment there was something he could do rather than just cling to a metal pole and wait for this dastardly attack to be over.

Scaly pods plunged into the boat before unfurling and revealing the monster within. As soon as it presented itself to Tidus, he felt a surge of anger. These fiends had been the ones to plague him at Zanarkand. These fiends had been the one that had tried to gnash at his flesh and tear off limbs. He was not going to let them get away this time.

With a new found energy, Tidus swung his new sword down on them and sliced straight through as though he was just cutting paper with a pair of sharp scissors.

He didn't stop there.

He continued cutting and slicing until all he could see was a blue blur. He couldn't discern what it was. The fiends, the sword, the water, the sky…it was all the same to him. It was like his body was running on auto-pilot. All that mattered was that he killed anything that got in his way.

It was never-ending.

Every time he thought he had gotten through them all, another load of them came thundering down as though they were rain-drops. Yes, Sin was so powerful it was quite literally raining enemies down upon them. If the water didn't sink the boat, these scaly pods would. Yet another blur of blue appeared, but this was one that Tidus could recognise due to the fact that they both had the same murderous aim. Kimahri had joined the battle and was sweeping the boat of fiends two at a time with his long, sharp spear.

The only thing that made Tidus stop was when he felt a bubbling sensation deep within his stomach. It spread to the rest of the body, filling him with a joy that he had only managed to feel when he was playing Blitzball. Once the elated feeling dispersed into a more mellow contentedness, he realised that the pain was gone.

His eyes met Yuna's and he knew it was her who was responsible for this amazing feeling. Not only could she summon aeons and make even the worst situation look good, she could also heal people with magic. Was there anything that this girl couldn't do?

"We attack the fin!" He heard Lulu shout as she cast spell after spell on Sin. Beads of sweat were forming on her brow through all the concentration she was using to keep the fire circling Sin. This was a much bigger display of magic than the one she used on the jelly monster back in Besaid. She had Sin held captive in a huge circle of fire that was burning through the scales and melting the fleshiness inside of it.

Almost as though it knew that there was no use in even trying to attack anymore, it sank lower into the water until it had disappeared. Only then did Lulu let off the fire ball, sagging to the floor in exhaustion. Relief came quickly for Tidus when the harpoon chain snapped off and he realised that Sin's relentless attack on the boat was over.

Oh, how wrong he was.

In a final act of revenge, Sin came back up for just a moment. He raised that monstrous tail and sent it crashing back down, disappearing once more as a huge wave slammed into the boat, spraying much more water onto the deck.

He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The water swept him away into the freezing cold ocean before anyone even had time to look up. For a moment, he believed that this was his end, before the water he was submerged in, gave a violent sway and turned cloudy. Once the bubbles had dispersed, Tidus saw the ginger hair that could not be mistaken.

He knew Wakka wouldn't let him down.

It wasn't over there. As soon as Tidus was able to get his bearings, a huge purple octopus looking creature attacked him with one huge tentacle that seemed almost fit to choke him to death.

Wakka was straight on it, he relentlessly attacked the biggest threat, whereas Tidus took on the vicious piranha's that weren't as big of a problem right now. Tidus could barely think straight. He had gotten so beaten up during that fight that he was beginning to think he wouldn't even be able to handle a few violent fish. He could have sure as hell used Yuna down here to heal him.

A purple tentacle wrapped around his throat tightly, allowing enough room to not kill him, but still keeping him in a severe amount of pain. There was nothing that Tidus could do. Even if he tried to shout out in pain, he just got a mouthful of water which made his throat burn even more as though he had just drank a full bottle of whisky straight.

With a rage that Tidus didn't know Wakka could possibly possess, he threw the Blitzball straight at the monster, hitting it square in the face. It broke the hold it had on Tidus who swam away desperately to get his sword. Just as he turned, the tentacle came at him again, but this time he was ready.

He thrashed around wildly with no real tactic. He just wanted this to be over as quick as possible. He made a few connections and only stopped when he felt Wakka pry him away. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the squid floating down into the dark depths of the sea, completely hacked up by Tidus' sword.

The last thought that Tidus had before passing out on the boat that Wakka had thrown him back up on was that Kilika was doomed. They hadn't been able to stop Sin. Yet another village had been destroyed by it. It was just like Zanarkand all over again.

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_**To make up for my long absence, I have given you guys the longest chapter yet for this story. I hope you really enjoy it. After all, a lot of work went into this one ;) Anyway, thank you all so much for reading! Feedback is much appreciated!**_

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_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	6. Kilika

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

_**Thank you very much to the people who reviewed on the previous chapter! It means a lot. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and feedback is much appreciated! On the 20**__**th**__** July I won't be able to update anymore for two weeks as I'm on holiday and won't be able to get internet connection.**_

_**THANK YOU:**_

_**jubulicious: **__**Thanks so much for the review. Even without many reviews, it's still great knowing people are reading it. Thank you for taking the time to type, though. It's much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Chapter Six: Kilika**_

They had no clue. They were all simply getting on with their lives. Children were playing with each other and mothers were cradling their babies. From out of nowhere, a shadow was cast over the whole of Kilika port. They were only allowed a few moments of realisation before it crashed down upon them, sweeping away everything standing in its way. That was when everything seemed to meet its demise.

Although Tidus had been unconscious for this, he could only imagine how it must have looked. The decking from the boat and from the port of Kilika must have rippled dangerously before sweeping away into the destructive water as houses and shops caved in on themselves and joined the carnage that was sweeping closer and closer into the epitome of Kilika. He could imagine the screams of villagers, all desperate to find some way off this death trap. He could imagine mothers searching frantically for their children who had been minding their own business before they were attacked mercilessly.

Above all, he could imagine the same sense of loss that Tidus felt when he awoke by those ruins after his own first frightful experience with Sin. Every single person here would soon be feeling that…assuming that they were still alive by the time Sin had stopped massacring and murdering innocents.

And this thought was enough to make Tidus believe that perhaps Spira wasn't so different from the world that he knew. They had Sin in common. Not just Blitzball. As the ball floated faultlessly over the water, it was soon realised by most that this wasn't important. Getting rid of Sin is what is important. As long as Sin was around, there would always be a reason to work for something…there would always be a reason to stick by the people you know. Tidus wouldn't be alone in Spira.

When Tidus finally allowed his eyes to flutter open, he found himself in a state of calm. Sin had gone…at least he was guessing that Sin had gone. The screams had stopped and his body wasn't getting thrown around in every direction. Rather than lurching from one end of a boat to the other, he was swaying gently back and forth in shallow water. The water felt as though it was cleansing him…why did he always seem to end up in water after Sin attacked?

A delicate hand was stroking calmly at his face, taking the pain away from him with every sweeping motion and making him feel as though he could simply drift off back to sleep again. She wiped the water from his face with her own indigo dress and made an attempt at drying his hair. It was as though Tidus had his own protector. It was no surprise to him when he realised that it was Yuna who was taking such sweet care of him and ensuring that he was no longer in any pain.

Then it call came crashing down once more like it always seemed to when Sin attacked. Devastation was simply everywhere he turned. Mass destruction of practically every building was a common occurrence right now. Weeping children and mothers clung desperately to one another as fathers and workers attempted to build the mess that seemed almost impossible to fix.

_When Sin attacked Zanarkand that day, I woke up in Spira. I kept hoping it would work in reverse too._

"I will defeat Sin" Yuna stated with a fierceness that Tidus didn't know she possessed. She stared on at the wreckage, not seeing the loss that everyone else was feeling. Instead, she regarded it coolly and only saw what she needed to do. She only saw another reason to end Sin. "I must defeat Sin." It was then that Tidus realised that Yuna felt all of this. This purge that Sin was creating didn't go unnoticed. She just masked it well because she was Spira's crutch. If she fell, Spira would descend into hell with her.

Tidus watched her helplessly, feeling as though everything was finally getting put into perspective. He believed that he wouldn't get back home to Zanarkand any time soon.

_I was just fooling myself. Maybe it was that day…on the sea, under the burning sun. I started to give up hope. I was in a foreign world. I wasn't going home. This was my new reality…and I was stuck in it for good._

As though there had never been an attack, the people of Kilika got on as usual. Those who had lost people mourned, but most got straight to work on trying to fix this mess. After all, that was what had to be done. As soon as a problem arose, it was to be fixed immediately…before Sin had a chance to attack once again.

"Greetings!" Yuna called as she prayed, already intent on ensuring that she did her bit. If she could take any of the pain away from these villagers, then she would despite how tired, weary or hurt she may be. "I am the Summoner Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid."

"M'lady Summoner" A woman gasped, lurching forward to get closer to her as though she was physically draining the strength from her and injecting it in to herself. Was that what Yuna's job was? Was that all people saw her for? A pillar of strength to feed off. Did they not understand that she had her own worries and problems to deal with? Did they not understand that Yuna had been attacked by Sin exactly the same as they had?

"If there is no other Summoner here, please allow me to perform the sending" Yuna uttered carefully as though this was a touchy subject for everyone involved. For all Tidus knew, it could be.

"Thanks be to ye" The husband of the woman sighed in relief.

"Our loved ones" The woman wept as her husband wrapped a comforting arm around her. "We feared they would become fiends."

"Please, take me to them" Yuna said as she nodded empathetically. The husband gestured for her to follow him and led her further down the pier where a group of weeping survivors stood watching the water that had been the instrument of Sin's transportation. Lulu and Kimahri stood on either side of her protectively. Tidus only wished there was more that he could do. He wanted to be one of the people to protect her. What did it even take to become a guardian?

"We're going to see what we can do to help in town" Wakka said breezily although the emotion was heavy in his voice. This must have been bringing back memories of Chappu. Although Wakka seemed so casual and care-free most of the time, Tidus understood that sometimes he felt just as lost as Tidus did.

The insignificance of Tidus at that given time left him running after them as though he was a dog trailing after his owner. He began to wonder if he would ever fit in here. He realised then that Wakka could quite easily get rid of him after the Blitzball tournament…and then he would be alone once more. After Luca, he would be disposable.

He walked delicately over the rickety pier, terrified that at any moment the wood could crumble in on itself and collapse into the treacherous waters, submerging him before anyone even realised he was gone.

He soon found himself standing in the midst of a group of villagers, all with tears in their weary eyes…all clutching at each other for some form of support.

"Uh, what's a sending?" Tidus asked Lulu carefully, knowing that after all of the emotional moments of today, she would be ready to snap if he asked another stupid question. "Are we going somewhere?"

She gave an impatient sigh and stared at him with an incredulous look. "You truly are clueless." For the first time, Tidus wasn't bothered about Lulu's attitude towards him. He couldn't describe what it was, but standing there at the pier with all of the other grieving villager's, he felt as though anything happening to him was insignificant. Something in the atmosphere just made him realise that this was more important. It was like magic. "Are you sure it's your memory that's the problem? The dead need guidance."

It was then that Tidus realised why this was such a touchy subject for others. It was then that he realised what it was that was infecting him and forcing him to put everything in perspective. Despite everything that had happened to him over the past few days…or however long it had been –time wasn't something he understood anymore– people had died and this was his time to grieve for them along with everyone else's.

"Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate." Lulu continued on with a voice so soft it could even compete with Yuna's. "They yearn to live on and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living and in time that envy turns to anger, even hate."

Lulu turned to the Blitzer with a look that told him how serious this conversation truly was. "Should these souls remain in Spira" She said with a sense of foreboding, "They'd become fiends." No wonder everyone was so uptight about this sending. No wonder they were all crying. They were probably just scared that their loved ones would become the thing that they were all fighting against desperately. "And prey on the living. Sad, isn't it? The sending takes them to the Farplane where they may rest in peace."

Tidus watched Lulu carefully, not really seeing her. It was almost as though he was looking through her. His mind was just too busy whirring away with everything that was happening about the sending. How could Yuna do something so heart-breaking?

"Summoners do this" Tidus voiced, his voice taking on a brittle quality at such an emotional topic of conversation. Lulu nodded in confirmation, turning back to face the water ahead and Tidus knew that the conversation was over. There was only so much he could get out of this woman at a time.

Tidus regarded Yuna once more who was talking to an old man, probably offering her sympathies. Uneasiness crept through Tidus like a virus as he thought about what was going to happen to Yuna. Surely making such a deep connection with the dead would take some toll on Yuna. No one could come out of something as emotionally draining as that unscathed.

She walked down the rickety steps that led to the water, but as soon as her foot reached the salty liquid, she seemed to float. She stayed on the surface, the water only lapping at her feet rather than completely submerging them as her staff sliced at the water, causing it to break into miniature waves.

Each time she took another step, the water would spiral around her, pulsing outwards like an S.O.S signal. The complete silence of it all was enough for Tidus to believe that this process was going to be dangerous. It took everything in him to stay quiet. He didn't think Lulu would appreciate it if he tried to put a stop to this.

When she was a safe distance away from the crowd watching her intently with amazement twinkling in their eyes, she stopped and let the wind rush over her and bathe her in its purity.

With a grace that Tidus didn't know even existed, she swung her staff around her in a series of complicated twists and swirls as though the staff cut through any air resistance as though it was merely an annoyance. She pirouetted graciously, allowing her hair to flutter along with her in a carefree manner.

As she did so, the crowd descended into sobs rather than a few weeps here and there. A few crumbled to their knees and simply let it all out at this display of respect.

Tidus couldn't understand the need to cry at this. Yes, he felt sorrow in the pit of his stomach because people had died. It was just like being at a funeral. Yet even if this sending was being performed for just his mother, Tidus wouldn't be able to cry. Watching Yuna ascend into a beautiful dance was just too transfixing for his mind to be thinking about other things.

The light from the setting sun bathed Yuna to the point where it seemed as though she was one big beam of light dancing on the surface of the twinkling, glittering, and shimmering water that was lapping at the base of her legs and her small feet that were holding her ground so confidently she positively emitted radiance.

She looked beautiful as remnants of the destruction were swept away into the abyss. It was almost symbolic of change. This sending was helping the dead move on, but Tidus believed it was also a way for everyone still alive to get closure from the attack.

She held the staff high above her head before bringing it round in a full circle as she hung her head back as though the staff was controlling her.

From the water, emerged beams of light that arose with a sense of foreboding. After a few moments, the lights softened into a dimming glow and circled around Yuna protectively, forming a barrier between Tidus and the Summoner. These must be the spirits of those who died today.

The lantern next to Tidus exploded into a bright, sharp flickering light rather than the golden glow it had just been. Everything about this sending heightened everything. Everything was brighter, everything was clearer. Although it was beautiful, it was suffocating Tidus. So much sorrow and death was circling around Yuna, feeding from her goodness and her power. If it didn't stop, it looked like it was going to threaten to take her to the land where the dead stayed too.

The water gave a violent shudder before ascending higher and higher in a swirl that carried Yuna along with it right in the epitome of the formation. She continued twirling as though she was guiding the lights as the water frothed and frothed at her feet, growing ever so higher to the point where Tidus began to wonder if it would ever stop.

The lights began to rise higher than her, mixing together and vaulting high into the darkening sky like shooting stars. The higher they got, the more relief Tidus felt. It was as though the darkness that was tainting Kilika was finally being lifted now that the spirits had been guided into moving on and accepting their death no matter how unfair and brutal it may have been.

As the spots of light disappeared into the clouds, the villagers who had been keeping a brave face, descended into heart-wrenching sobs that Tidus didn't pay attention to.

The huge water formation, slipped further and further back down, separating once more back into the sea and letting Yuna down. She turned back with her eyes closed and walked back to the pier. She looked so tired and so worn out. Yes, the sending had definitely taken a toll on her…both emotionally and physically.

"It must be tough being a summoner" Tidus noted as he watched Yuna get hounded by the villagers. He felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. Shouldn't someone tell them that it's time Yuna got some rest now? She needs it after everything she had just been through within the last twenty-four hours.

"Yuna chose her own path" Lulu reminded. Tidus could sense regret in her voice. It didn't seem like Lulu had always been so keen on Yuna becoming a summoner. "She knew from the beginning what it meant. All we can do is protect her along the way…until the end."

"Until the _end?" _Tidus questioned with confusion etched on his face. Why was it that Lulu always had to sound so morbid and depressing? "What's the end?" Before she could answer, every single person on the pier stopped what they were doing, stopped crying, stopped comforting, stopped thinking…they just turned round and stared at him as though he had the plague. Tidus had a feeling that he had possibly made on of the biggest mistakes he had made yet in Spira. Lulu simply gave a resigned sigh, unwilling to help him out of this one. Where was Wakka when you needed him?

"Until she defeats Sin" Lulu answered as she strode away angrily from him. Well, at least he had an answer now. What was so bad about what he asked?

"Oh" Was all he said as people finally turned their attentions somewhere else rather than continuing to make him feel awkward about himself.

"I hope…I hope I did okay" He heard Yuna confess to Lulu once she had finally managed to fight through the crowds and return to safe grounds.

"You did very well" Lulu sighed as she pulled Yuna into a sisterly hug. Tidus was shocked to the say the least. He hadn't believed that Lulu would be capable of showing affection to anyone. Perhaps everyone had a soft spot when it came to Yuna. After all, Tidus knew that he certainly did. "They've reached the Farplane by now…but…no tears next time."

Tidus found himself, once again, shocked. How could Lulu not understand why Yuna was crying? She hadn't been the one in the position. She had no right to judge her for getting emotional. After all, she was helping the dead move on. That's got to be a pretty sad thing…right?

_I wished there would never be a next time…no more people being killed by Sin…no more Sending's for Yuna. Everyone stood there watching her. It was strange and, somehow, horrifying. I never wanted to see it again._

For the rest of the night, Tidus didn't know what to do with himself. Everywhere he went, he didn't feel like he belonged there…not after what happened just moments before. He even tried talking to Wakka, but the atmosphere just wasn't right. It was so thick…it was like it was almost choking him, constantly threatening to close up his windpipe at any given moment.

He even tried to sit alone at the pier where Yuna had performed the Sending, but found no comfort like he had thought he would. He had been hoping to capture some of that beauty that he had felt not long ago, but there was nothing but an empty pit where vitality had once been. The same sense of draining still hung around the area. Tidus didn't doubt that it would disperse soon enough, but he wasn't prepared to wait around until it did. By the time that happened, he could have already fallen in to a pit of depression.

Yuna was also alone just like him. He could see her, but didn't dare approach her. No one was there to offer her a comforting shoulder like she deserved after the ordeal she had just been through. Although Tidus wished he had the nerve to sit with her, he knew he couldn't. Yuna was alone for a reason. She needed time to reflect on what she had just done. The small smile he gave her would have to be enough for now.

Realising that there was nothing better he could do with his time, he decided to retire to bed in one of the few buildings that had managed to brave it through the duration of Sin's attack. He didn't think it would be as comfortable as his bed in Besaid, but when he arrived, he was proven wrong.

Many people were staying at the Inn because their houses had been destroyed in Sin's wake, so Tidus was lucky to get a room. Most were happy enough just sleeping on the floor in the reception area as long as it meant that there would be a roof over his head. The guardians and Yuna had two rooms. One was for Lulu and Yuna, but there were a few others sleeping on the floor in there because Yuna just couldn't say no. The other room was for Kimahri, Tidus, Wakka and the rest of the Besaid Aurochs.

It was a quaint room, one with few personal artefacts inside. The beds were thin, with a shaggy green cover and a thin, yellowing pillow case. A rug which had lost its colour sat lifelessly at the centre of the room. A bookshelf stood at the corner, filled with books of the history of Spira, children's tales and documented attacks from Sin. There were two bedside tables filled with items that looked like they belonged in the gift shop downstairs.

There were a few plants in all corners of the room, giving the room the scent of life even if it was rather strong and gave Tidus a headache.

It was nothing like Besaid, but it was good in its own way.

That's why, when Tidus lay down in bed, he fell asleep almost straight away and no longer had dreams of Jecht and his torturing. Surprisingly, all the questions that were swimming around in his head, calmed and allowed him a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, Tidus stumbled down the stairs to get to the main reception area, giving loud yawns as he went and stretching awkwardly in the compact staircase. He would have given absolutely anything at this point to be back in Zanarkand and back in his usual bed just so that he could sleep in until whatever time he liked. He preferred waking up in the afternoons. It had been made clear here that morning's just weren't his thing.

When he reached the bottom of the steps, he found himself dodging a young child running wildly round the main reception. No one had the heart to tell him off. After all, he had been through enough after last night. Now he deserved to have a little fun if it meant his mind was taken off all the death that had been occurring.

Even so, Tidus could barely get past him to get to the door. His co-ordination was a little off based on the fact that he could barely keep his eyes open to begin with. Getting past this child was proving to be harder than playing a game of Blitzball.

"I'm gonna move to Luca when I'm older" The child squeaked, probably to no one in particular…just anyone who would give him the time of day and listen to him.

"That's great, kid" Tidus cheered as he tried to stop him from jumping all over the place.

"I'm gonna Blitzball." He continued on. "My daddy used to play Blitzball, but he died when Sin came." Tidus' heart broke. How could this child be coping so well with this? His old man had just died and it didn't seem to bother him one bit. He understood how this place worked then. Sin attacked all the time. People got their moment of sadness, but that's it. They were only awarded with one moment before they had to get up and move on with their life.

At least Tidus had an old man…fair enough it was only for a little while, but he didn't even appreciate him when he had him. At least when Jecht went missing, Tidus was given time to grieve. He may not have done that because he simply didn't care, but at least he was given the choice. That's more than what he can say for the villagers in Kilika.

He finally got past.

Figuring that fresh air would be the best thing to wake him up naturally and also to take his mind off the child, Tidus ventured outside into the bright light and the warm breeze.

"Hey, you awake?" Datto asked as he emerged from nowhere. "Cap'n Wakka's waiting for ya." And with that, he ran off once more.

Tidus hurried off to where Datto had come from, wondering how much trouble he was going to be in with Wakka for keeping him waiting once again. Perhaps he should actually try getting a move on when he woke up rather that chatting idly with strangers.

Tidus soon found him standing at the edge of a pier, regarding the reconstruction of the village. Wow, these people really did move fast. The village already looked like it was improving.

"Ah, they're ya are" Wakka cheered as Tidus took the spot next to him and watched as his Blitzball team repeatedly hammered nails into boards of wood to make them more stable. "Besaid Aurochs huddle!" He called out the rest of them. "Onto the temple where we pray for victory."

"GO!" They all cheered in unison, throwing their fists into the air with appreciation and respect for Wakka. It must be brilliant to be a team leader. The Besaid Aurochs truly seem to worship him. Then, they sprinted away, leaving their work unfinished.

"High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika temple here" Wakka taught, gesturing for Tidus to follow him as he followed the trail of the Aurochs. "Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great Blitzer, y'know?"

Something about what Wakka was saying irked Tidus. For once, couldn't he just forget about Blitzball and focus his attentions on something else? You know, something that was infinitely more important than Blitzball? Someone like Yuna. She had been in need of some comfort last night. Perhaps if Wakka wasn't so busy obsessing over the Blitzball tournament, she may have gotten it.

"Wakka?" Tidus interrupted, hoping to knock some sense into him without sounding too cruel.

"Hmm?" He questioned in that light-hearted tone of his. Couldn't he take anything seriously.

"Praying for victory's all good, but…is this right?" Tidus asked. Surely victory couldn't be the only thing on Wakka's mind. People had died last night. Surely that was weighing down on him too…or at least lurking in the back a little.

"Something wrong with enjoying Blitzball?" He asked with an innocent stare. No, there's nothing wrong with enjoying Blitzball, but there's a time and a place for it. Tidus didn't believe that this was the time for it at all.

"Is this really the time?" Tidus prompted as he gestured towards the destruction all around him. They all had to grieve before they started thinking of the tournament…surely.

"This is the only time" Wakka answered as he continued on walking. "The players fight with all their strength, the fans cheer for their favourite team. They forget pain…suffering. Only the game matters. That's why Blitz has been around for so long. Least that's what I think."

"Whatever you say" Tidus drawled as he gave a shocked shake of the head. Blitzball was a sport to him. Nothing more, nothing less. At the end of the day, people are still dying on a day to day basis. No amount of Blitzball is going to change that…no matter how hard anyone tries.

"Let's play and win!" Wakka went on with a cheeky grin that conveyed that he had won the argument. "Right?"

"Right" Tidus said in a half strong voice. He just couldn't help but disagree with what Wakka was standing for here. It was like he believed that the only thing that mattered in this world was Blitzball.

"Temple's beyond the jungle there" Wakka said, recognising that Tidus wasn't in the mood to argue. "Let's go." It looked wild in there. It looked like Tidus was going to get cut to ribbons just trying to walk through it and there was probably going to be enemies there to hinder him even more. There always seemed to be an enemy somewhere lately. It was just inevitable. Oh, why did he have to do this?

Reluctantly, he followed Wakka into the depths of this jungle. It wasn't anything like how he imagined it to be. He had expected sweltering heat and sandy grounds with branches sticking out everywhere along with thorns cutting deep into his cheeks and drawing blood which would only attract more enemies.

When he stepped through the clearing, he found a clear cut pathway straight down the centre and the trees were relatively tame. It seemed that the people of the village kept the jungle under control. They pathway was probably man-made and they probably cut at the trees to keep the clearing open. It was almost like a nature trail that mothers and fathers would take their children on. Yes, this didn't seem to be too bad for Tidus at all. He could quite get used to this.

As he progressed further in to where the other guardians and Yuna were, he found it wasn't even that hot. The trees provided enough shade to keep the sun from beating down too violently on him, yet still allowed some rays to sneak in to keep him warm. It was like he had truly reached a happy-medium in this place. He was beginning to think that nothing could go wrong here.

"What's up?" Wakka inquired as they all met in the middle where the road split off into other directions before fading into a dirt path.

"Yuna's saying she wants you with us" Lulu answered coldly, staring Tidus down as though she was a viper who was ready to strike at any minute. Tidus would have loved to have at least tried to fight his way out of this accusatory stare stage, but he couldn't even decipher what Lulu was talking about…never mind defend himself against it.

"Huh?" Was all he managed to get out as he allowed his eyes to follow Yuna to where she stood, planted firmly on the ground with a stare of her own. She didn't look like she was going to back down on whatever it was that she wanted.

"I want to ask you…to be my guardian" She explained with a smile. Tidus suddenly felt warm all over. For his whole time in Spira, he had been relying on others to get him out of trouble…and now Yuna was willing to trust him with protecting her life. How had things turned around so fast like this? No wonder Lulu was so angry with Tidus for something that he hadn't even had any control over.

"Yuna, what?" Wakka finally questioned once the silence had worn on for longer than what felt comfortable. "This' no time for jokes, ya? He may be a Blitzball whizz kid, but up against fiends…he's a newbie." Tidus attempted to ignore that jibe that had left a stinging in his stomach, but by focussing on Yuna, he found he was able to do it.

"Not a guardian then" Yuna altered as she turned to regard Wakka with a look that told him that Tidus was going to be sticking around no matter what he said. "I just want him nearby."

Wakka leapt back with his mouth hanging open. He simply couldn't understand the need Yuna had for Tidus. After all, he hadn't been around on the boat when Tidus opened up to Yuna. He hadn't seen the connection they had with each other right from the get go.

"What?" Tidus questioned as he jumped forward, so he could see Yuna. "Whaddya mean?" Even he was struggling to understand why Yuna would want to listen to his constant stupid questions on Spira. If he had been in her position, he would have wanted rid of someone so stupid straight away.

"It's just that…well" Yuna sighed, unable to conjure a proper reason to share with the group. She just knew that having Tidus around was good for her. When it came to explaining that to others and even to herself, she was stumped.

"We're all going to the temple anyway" Lulu reminded as she joined the fray. "Can't this wait till later." Tidus never thought he would say this, but he was so grateful for having Lulu around at this point to make the situation less awkward. During the time it took them to get to the temple, perhaps they would have clearer heads…perhaps someone would be able to explain why they felt the way they did.

Yuna gave a nod of confirmation before aiming at Tidus, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about" Tidus interrupted, unable to let Yuna feel like she had somehow been in the wrong. "I'm just not really sure what's going on."

"My apologies" Yuna stated. It seemed things were going to be awkward between the two for a little while longer now.

Before anyone could launch into another conversation, Kimahri stepped out and gestured forward on the path as a hint that he wanted to get going. At least two people on this pilgrimage made sense.

Tidus didn't have the bravery or the energy to deny Kimahri what he wanted, so they proceeded on through the woods. The group followed the main path to where a group of professional looking villagers stood, all conversing rapidly as though there was some sort of problem up ahead.

"The fiend before us is Ochu, lord of the wood" The tanned man informed as he gestured to the most horrifying looking plant ahead that looked like it was asleep. "We've had trouble with this one before. Remember discretion is the better part of valour."

Tidus took one step forward and the fiend launched into action before he even understood what he had done.

"This is exactly why you shouldn't a guardian" Lulu snapped, pulling Yuna away from it with a haste Tidus had never seen before. "You need to think before you do things." The crusaders sprinted away and left Tidus alone to fight as Ochu gave an ear-splitting screech.

Lulu jumped straight into action, pushing Yuna into Kimahri for protection as she cast a fire spell on the beast, setting it alight and casting the jungle in a red glow as the fire crackled on, burning and cooking the skin of Ochu to the point where Tidus could hear it bubbling. The smell was awful. It was like sulphur burning. Tidus watched as the smoke rose high up into the air as Ochu gave screams of agony, whipping its tentacles wildly in pain and anger, hoping to strike one of its attackers.

Wakka thrust his Blitzball deep into the plant like monster, not daring to get too close because of two problems: the tentacles would wipe him out in a second. And if the tentacles didn't finish him off, the fire Lulu had set on Ochu would finish him off.

Almost as though this was Ochu's last act of revenge, a yellowy greenish gas emitted from him and spread through the air slowly like an army of men with deadly firearms. Before Tidus had a chance to try and get away from it, it clouded over him and descended down threateningly. As it invaded him, Tidus could feel himself growing light-headed. Just as the beast crumbled in on itself and its tentacles curled in, Tidus fell to the floor and gave a woozy groan.

"Don't waste your magic, Yuna" He heard Lulu warn. "Ochu gave him no more than he deserved after how stupid he was."

Even with Lulu's warns, Yuna rushed forward and spread her hand over Tidus' chest, her fingers splayed far out to cover more of the area. The same warm feeling started at the centre of his chest before it spread to the whole of his body and the light-headed feeling disappeared.

"Thank you" He sighed as he pushed himself up from the ground. She simply smiled and gave a heavenly giggle.

"Come along, we must get to the temple" Lulu drawled, not entertained by the situation whatsoever.

The path straight ahead was a quick one that led straight to a set of stone steps that lead up into the heavens. At this point, the trees no longer offered Tidus any shade and the sun was beating down on him full force. After only a few moments in the sun, beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead and into his eyes irritatingly.

As they climbed them, they found the Besaid Aurochs had already made it there and were strangely doing wide lunges.

Wakka gave a chuckle as he prepared his own little speech to give Tidus. "These stone steps have a history y'know?. Yep, Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak."

The Aurochs gave a sneaky chuckle and that was when Tidus finally understood what was going on.

"A race, huh?" He asked with an amused expression. Although it completely defeated Tidus' point about how there was a time and a place, he found the idea fun. "Think you can beat me?"

All four of them turned round to face the steps, each of them trying to work out a strategy for winning.

"Yuna, if you would" Wakka finally said once they had had enough time to study the stone steps.

Yuna gave a chuckle as she hurried forward to the bottom of the steps. "Ready?" Before anyone had a chance to answer, she hurried off first and sprinted up the steps, so she would win without a doubt.

Shouts of 'hey' met her ears, but she didn't stop as they chased after her with Lulu following calmly and slowly, wondering what it was that was so amusing about all of these childish games.

"Huh? Hey!" Tidus shouted after them, but didn't run, knowing it would be a lost cause. He simply followed after them along with Lulu and Kimahri. They only made it halfway up the steps before the rest of them came sprinting down with fear darting about in their eyes. Something terrifying must be up there.

"L-look out!" Datto screamed as he hurried down the steps, whizzing straight past Tidus and cowering behind Kimahri.

"Everyone quick!" Wakka shouted from the top step. "Sinspawn!" Tidus wasn't sure what exactly Wakka meant by this, but he knew it couldn't be anything good. Lulu and Kimahri shot up the steps and Tidus followed, already brandishing his sword.

When he got to the stone platform, he found the ground was rippling dangerously close to Yuna. If she stayed where she was, she wasn't going to get ripped away from them by the blast. Just as he wrapped and arm around her waist and yanked her back, the ground exploded and unleashed a shell-like creature with huge tentacles as goonies.

Tidus had no clue how they were going to manage to defeat this one. Every time he made any sort of connection with it by means of his sword, it barely even made a dint in the rock like structure of its outer coating. Tidus was willing to bet his life that it was hurting him much more than it was harming the Sinspawn. After a few hits, he began to think that any more would end up shattering the much-loved sword that had once belonged to Chappu. If they made it out alive, he didn't think Lulu and Wakka would be too happy with him for doing that. Even so, the only thing this sword was managing to do for him was send electrifying jolts up and down his right arm to the point where he thought the muscles were going to tear and his arm was going to rip off.

All weapons seemed to be useless against it. Every time Wakka or Kimahri attacked, there would just be a dull thud and then a groan of pain from them. Luckily, Lulu stepped forward and cast a fire spell on one of the tentacles that were teetering dangerously close to them. At least something was getting done now. The tentacle shook and shrieked before recoiling and flopping to the floor pathetically. She did the exact same to the other and it copied its brother with the exact same ear-splitting, blood-curdling scream that almost caused the stone steps to shudder and crumble.

Once the tentacles no longer posed a threat, Kimahri attempted one last swipe at the shell. Tidus had been expecting nothing to happen, but he was wrong this time. It gave a violent shudder as the shell peeled back and revealed a much bigger monster inside. It was similar to the tentacles that the group had previously managed to fight off, but this was much bigger and seemed to be much more powerful.

It pulled back before spitting out a great ball of spit that landed square in the centre of Kimahri's face before he had a chance to even try to dodge it. He let out a roar of pain as it infected him and poisoned him. Wakka held Yuna back as she fought to heal her protector, knowing the situation was much too dangerous to put her in. After the battle, she could heal him…but certainly not during.

Tidus ran at the monster with a new found hatred and took a swipe at the tentacle to feel it slicing away under his touch. The agonizing shriek it gave was only too satisfying.

A shout of 'no!' was the only thing that made Tidus break concentration. Yuna had managed to fight forward and now stood directly in front of the horrifying beast.

"Allow me" She said softly as Tidus ran to get her away from it. Her hands outstretched and he knew exactly what she was doing. She was summoning Valefor. Suddenly, he didn't feel the need to even try and stop her anymore. She knew what she was doing. She had a talent with this. The others just needed to allow her some freedom before they tried to stop her. She couldn't live her life without being put in the way of harm at times.

From the clouds, Valefor came barrelling down before unfurling and batting his wings powerfully in front of the monster, fixing it with a murderous look. Yuna stroked his beak softly with love and respect before scurrying away to stand with Lulu at the side who was looking incredibly annoyed with Yuna's recklessness, yet also proud of how clever she was.

Valefor swooped up into the sky before dropping down again, so it's pointed claws dug into the head of the monster, eliciting another loud screech as Valefor pulled from side to side to cause maximum pain as blood oozed and squirted out and bits of flesh were ripped savagely from the beast. Valefor only managed to do this twice more before the Sinspawn figured out its tactics.

When Valefor came down for the fourth time, a tentacle reached up, twisted itself around Valefor's neck and squeezed hard with the last bit of energy it had left. Valefor twisted uncomfortably and let out loud squawks, beating its wings to attempt to get in a good hit or just to get out of the deadlock grip.

"No!" Tidus heard Yuna cry as she watched what was happening. She ran forward without even having a plan. She swung her staff with all of the force she had and slammed it straight into the Sinspawn. Although it hadn't probably harmed the monster, it still aggravated it. It released its hold on Valefor and fixed itself upon Yuna who was still staring at the monster with confidence. Even though she seemed to know the death blow was going to be delivered to her, she didn't show how scared she was because at least she had protected something she had loved.

As the Sinspawn advanced on Yuna, Valefor made a quick recovery. Just as the beast was about to slash at her with the tentacle, Valefor launched straight at the centre of the Sinspawn and shoved its claws deep within and gave a loud shriek before ripping them back out and sweeping Yuna away and back into safety as the monster crumbled apart. Seeing that its job was done, Valefor gave a bow to Yuna before soaring away once more.

Tidus was the first to make a noise as he descended into loud pants and gasps as he stared at the gaping hole in the platform. "Heesh" Tidus sighed as though he couldn't believe the nerve of the Sinspawn.

"Sorry bout that" Wakka laughed. How was this situation even funny? "Hoped to break you in a little slower."

"Being a guardian's tiring?" Tidus complained as he took another deep breath to try and keep from passing out.

"You handled yourself pretty well" Wakka complimented. "You got talent." At this display of admiration, Tidus tried desperately to keep from grinning like a madman.

"Nah!" Tidus waved off casually as though he was told something like this every day. "So, what are these Sinspawn anyway?"

"Fiends. They fall from Sin's body" Lulu answered as she turned and ascended up the next set of steps, taking lead once again. "And are left behind in its wake."

"Leave em alone and Sin comes back for em" Wakka continued with a shiver as he thought of what could have happened had they not found it when they did. "You gotta be quick."

_That moment went Wakka told me I had talent in battle…I think that was when I started seriously considering becoming a guardian._

Tidus heaved a sigh as he began clambering up the steep steps. Why couldn't they have just built the temple on flat ground? It would have been a lot easier to get to if they had. When they were about half way up, Wakka stopped in front of them and aimed a question for Tidus, something that had been on his mind for quite a while.

"So…uh" Wakka stammered as he tried to figure out a way to put this. "They got fiends in Zanarkand too?"

"Just a few" Tidus answered just as casually as Wakka had asked. "It's a big deal when one shows up, though. Hey, since when have you believed me about Zanarkand, anyway?"

"I've been thinking" Wakka began, following Tidus, so he was stood on the same step as him. "Maybe the people Sin get to don't die. Maybe Sin carries em through time like one thousand years through time and then one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"

"Amazing" Lulu stated. "Simply amazing." Tidus could sense straight away that she was incredibly annoyed by how hopeful and in denial Wakka was.

"Huh?" Wakka questioned as he spun round to face Lulu defensively. The hope of his brother being alive clearly wasn't something to be argued about.

"You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth" Lulu pointed out as she shook her head dejectedly. "Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore. Your brother won't just 'pop' back."

Yuna watched on with shock as the two came to blows. Although Lulu was being harsh, she was facing the stone cold facts…something that Wakka needed to do too.

"Oh, and one more thing" Lulu continued, continuing to walk up the steps as though this was just an everyday conversation to be had over dinner. "No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht for that matter…and there's no replacement for Lord Braska either. It's pointless to think about it…and sad."

Wakka simply slumped onto the step and hung his head sadly as Yuna hurried after Lulu. He gave a punch to the stone in anger and frustration.

"I…I could never be what Chappu was" He muttered venomously before getting back up casually. "Well, stuff happens. Best not to worry." He followed the steps up sadly.

_Wakka, Lulu and Wakka's brother, Chappu…something had happened between them a long time ago. I was sure of it. Well, whatever it was, it was none of my business that's for sure. Best not to go there._

When Tidus finally clambered up the final stair, the temple came into view. It was simply majestic. That was probably the only word that Tidus could think of to describe the beauty that was strewn in front of him.

This temple in Kilika was much larger than the one in Besaid. It looked much more futuristic than Besaid. It looked as though this one had been built much more recently.

Fire blazed from the lanterns at either side of the entrance and flickered with vitality so perfect Tidus no longer felt worthy of standing next to it.

Villagers were gathered in the gardens outside of the temple, probably more than usual due to what happened last night. They milled around, some praying and others offering comfort to each other even though there was enough comfort emanating from the temple itself. Just standing next to it, Tidus could feel the holiness seeping into him.

Letty approached him hesitantly as though he wasn't sure if it was acceptable for him to talk.

"I know how you feel" He finally mumbled as he looked at the temple in fear. "Sometimes with all the bad stuff going on, I don't feel like I can believe. But the temple is all that we got. The temple and Blitzball…that's all I got to get through the bad times. We gotta keep believing."

"Sure" Tidus said awkwardly, not sure if spiritual advice was really what he was looking for right now, but appreciating it all the same.

"Oh no, just what we need" Tidus heard Datto mutter angrily. Tidus looked up to see three Blitzball players, decked out in expensive purple clothing.

They approached the Besaid Aurochs confidently and sneered down at them as though they believed they were so much better than them. Tidus couldn't help but think that this was the wrong place to have a showdown with another Blitzball team.

"You here to pray for victory too?" Wakka asked, sounding perfectly civil.

"Us? Pray? Who needs to pray?" The leader chuckled. "The Luca Goers always win." His attitude made Tidus so angry he wanted to throw a punch, but he knew that that would most certainly not be an appropriate thing to do at the temple.

"Oh yeah?" Wakka questioned with a distasteful look. "Then why are you here?"

"We've been praying for some competition this year" The blonde goer informed with a sneer.

"So what's your goal this time?" The leader asked. "You gonna 'do your best' again?" Tidus couldn't take the Goers humiliating him and his team any longer.

"Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough" The blonde chuckled as he looked to his friend for a backup laugh to make himself look even better.

"Why even bother showing up" The other mocked.

"This time we play to win" Tidus burst out with a violent shake of his fist. No one messes with his Blitzball team.

"Ooh, play away" The leader chuckled before beginning to walk away. "Just remember even kids can play, boys." He strutted off with his team in tow, leaving Tidus with fury that he could barely contain.

"See you in the finals" Wakka cheered, throwing his fist high in the air in pompously before the rest of the group apart from Tidus and Yuna made their way inside the temple.

"We'll beat them" Tidus vowed. "We have to."

"You know that team?" Yuna questioned curiously as she approached Tidus.

"Putting people down" Tidus spat bitterly. "There's as bad as my old man."

"But…Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man" Yuna gasped in shock at Tidus' words.

"Well, not my Jecht" Tidus scoffed as he thought of all the times Jecht insulted him and told him that he would never be good enough to be a professional Blitzball player.

"Uh" Yuna gave a resigned sigh, knowing that she would be unable to explain to Tidus why he shouldn't say those things against his own father.

_Even ten years after he left, just thinking about my old man got me angry. Hmm, but maybe that was just my way of keeping him…nah._

He pushed the thoughts of his old man from his head and continued into the temple where everyone else was heading.

"Lord Ohalland" Wakka began as he prayed at the statue. "Guide our feet."

Tidus crouched down along with him and prayed, hoping that it would make some difference. All he wanted was to beat those Luca Goers. He didn't care how he did it, he just needed to carry that cup out of that stadium and laugh in their faces and show them that some villagers from a far-away island can beat the big-shot boys.

"A summoner are you?" A voice sneered from the top of the steps.

Everyone turned to see who it was who was mocking Yuna to find a dark skinned woman with little to nothing on. What she did have on was a cream dress that covered her shoulders and her chest, but proceeded to thin into just two thin strips of material that crossed over one another to her ankles.

Next to her was a large man who wore bright colours such as purple and green. He had a rather large hand and tiny eyes…to be perfectly honest, he didn't look like he had much going on in his brain.

They descended the stairs just as Yuna called out. "My name is Yuna – from the Isle of Besaid."

"Dona" The woman introduced. "So, you're High Summoner Braska's daughter? That's quite a name to live up to. My, my, my and all these people are your guardians? My, what a rabble. As I recall Lord Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one guardian, right Barthello?"

As Barthello nodded, Kimahri sized him up and gave a low growl. It seemed that if someone didn't sort this argument out soon, it was going to turn into a fight."

"I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust" Yuna defended as she took a step forward to stop Kimahri from ripping Barthello's head off. "I trust them all with my life. To have so many guardians is a joy and an honour. Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace."

"You do what you want" Dona retaliated. "Barthello, we're leaving."

As though she had been physically wounded by Yuna's words, she grabbed Barthello by the wrist and led him out as though she couldn't stand to be in this room with Yuna a second longer in case she caught some of the madness going on here.

_A guardian is someone a Summoner can rely on, someone she can trust with her life. I wondered, did Yuna feel that way about me? What's she smiling about?_

Choosing to ignore what had just unfolded in front of their very eyes, the guardians and Yuna continued on and walked through the heavy doors at the top of the stairs that gave a dull thud once they had been opened fully.

They all walked through a dank corridor that was illuminated by just two lanterns at the end where a strange circle with stone barriers stood.

"The fayth is below." Wakka stated earnestly. "Let's do it."

"The fayth?" Tidus questioned, peering around at the stone circle with the weird pattern on it. Why was everything always so confusing when it involved these temples?

"But first, the cloister of trials" Lulu reminded. "Kimahri, Wakka, ready?" They both gave a solemn nod.

"Strength, everyone" Yuna stated as she prayed for each of them. They proceeded to walk onto the stone circle and Tidus followed obediently, but only to find himself pushed off by Kimahri.

"Ah!" Tidus shouted as he stumbled over. "Hey, what gives?"

"You're not a guardian yet" Lulu reminded with the hint of a smile. It pleased Tidus even if it was at his expense. At least it showed that she was human.

"Um, we'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Yuna said in a way to offer comfort to Tidus. Before Tidus even had a chance to ask what was happening, they descended into the abyss, leaving Tidus alone.

"Oh sure, like tomorrow soon I bet" Tidus scoffed, figuring he might as well make himself comfortable if he believed that he was going to be here for a while.

"Where's Yuna?" A voice asked just as the elevator style thing came back up. It was Dona. This couldn't be good. Tidus just gestured to the stone circle, unable to even describe what had happened or what was going to happen. "Then why are you here?"

"Hey! I'm not a guardian, so I'm not supposed to go in, right?" Tidus questioned, praying they had just gotten it wrong and he wouldn't have to be alone up here anymore…but he knew that this was not going to be the case.

"Hmm, not a guardian, you say?" Dona questioned with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Before Tidus could ask what she meant, Barthello reached out and grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder.

"Hey! Wait!" Tidus protested, slapping desperately at his back, but he just wouldn't put him down. "Lemme go! Hey, what's the big idea?" Tidus asked as he dropped him on the stone circle.

"Just a little game" Dona answered as Tidus clambered up, rubbing his neck in pain.

"Huh?" He asked, wishing someone would just be straight with him for once in his life. The glyph on the stone circle shone bright before dimming once more as the circle receded into the shadows before Tidus could even do anything about it. "This is bad" He stated as he looked up to the smiling faces of Dona and Barthello. "Really bad."

The elevator stopped and revealed a longer, brighter corridor that Tidus had to walk down if he was to have any hope of getting out of this place.

"Only guardians allowed" He muttered to himself as he stood at the door. Surely Yuna, Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri couldn't have gone that far just yet. He should be able to catch up to them and then they can get him out of this mess. Yes, that sounded like a good plan. Hell, it was his only plan. "I'm sure no guardian. Well, I guess it's too late now." With that as his incentive to continue, he pushed open the heavy, stone doorway and stepped into the darkness.

All he managed to find was another room shaped like a square. He was beginning to think that this is what temples were made of. A series of rooms identical to each other to drive those who enter it insane.

To the side of the room, he found a pedestal with a strange ball of light clamped tightly into it. He recognised it almost immediately. It was exactly like the one that he saw back in the temple at Besaid. He searched his mind to find the answer to what he was supposed to do with it. What had he done with those balls? He'd put them somewhere, but he just couldn't remember where. Surely this place couldn't be all that different.

Then his eyes fell on it. The door to the next room had a recess in it that was almost concealed by how dark this room was. After all, there was only one lantern lighting this one and that was at the very other side of the room. He clutched at the sphere and yanked it roughly out of the pedestal before hurrying over to the door and inserting it, so he could get out of this cold room.

A line of light came from the sphere and then into the door way. Suddenly, the doorway burst into flames, considerably warming the room in the process. Well, how on Earth was he supposed to get past this? He was no expert, but he didn't think Yuna could heal a boy on fire.

He took the sphere back out of the recess to see the fire burn out, leaving the doorway to the next room completely open. Carefully, he ventured into the next room almost afraid that the fire would start up once more.

In the next identical room, he found another doorway and guessed that this sphere was supposed to go in there. He inserted it and rapidly flinched away in case this door burst into flames too. A glyph morphed onto the wall much like it had when they were in Besaid.

Wondering if it was just like the past room, he took the sphere from the recess and searched for somewhere else to put it.

To the side of the room, he found a black wall with another hard to see recess. When he put it in, a small fire burned. It lit the room more, but this time didn't scorch his skin. This allowed him to see the glyph more clearly. It was a complicated, ancient looking symbol that looked like four different arrows. He reached out and splayed his fingers across it much like he did when he was in the Besaid cloister of trials.

The door jolted before sliding up jerkily and thudding into the ceiling, leaving the doorway to the next room open.

Tidus took the sphere from the pedestal for good measure, placing it in the recess on the other side of the room before entering the fiery chasm that threatened to take his life if he teetered too close to the edge.

He stood on a shining, white light, causing his whole world to feel like it was swaying before his vision righted itself once more. He took the sphere from the wall next to the shiny light and placed it on the pedestal that had now appeared in the fiery room. Next, he retrieved the sphere from the previous room and placed it in the recess of the newest wall to find a hidden room and also to watch the fire magically burn out, darkening and cooling the room in the process.

Tidus pushed the pedestal onto the glowing white light and watched it slip onto the floor below that would have descended into fire had it not died down. He approached it carefully, still scared it may spontaneously combust once more and hastily retrieved the sphere and running up the next flight of steps.

He placed into the recess by the door, only for it to explode into flames like the first one had. Figuring it was just like before, he took the sphere out of the recess. The flames burned out and allowed Tidus to clamber up the next set of stairs with the freezing cold sphere in his hand as his body let out more water than in a Blitzball arena.

He crept into the next room to see Wakka, Lulu and Kimahri. When he took a few more hesitant steps forward, Wakka rushed towards him.

"Woah, woah, woah" Wakka gasped in shock as he shook his head in defeat.

"It was Dona and that big muscle-head man" Tidus defended, hoping Yuna wouldn't get into trouble for this.

"Yuna, will be the one to suffer the consequences" Lulu revealed with a sad sigh. It was such a shame that Tidus' ability to get into bad situations was going to make Yuna look bad.

"What consequences?" Tidus asked.

"She could be excommunicated" Wakka explained hesitantly. The group dispersed, leaving Tidus to think about what he had done.

He wanted to apologise to everyone, but the words just wouldn't come. He knew what he had done was wrong, but he also knew that no one was going to listen to him properly if he tried. He approached Wakka carefully, knowing that he would be the less angry one of the trio.

"Just wait" Wakka urged, praying that Tidus wouldn't proceed to make another scene for the pack.

"So, what's in there anyway?" The blonde inquired.

"The fayth remember?" Wakka reminded. Well, that was simply no help at all to Tidus. He didn't even know what that was.

"Oh yeah, that thing, right" Tidus replied pathetically.

"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin" Lulu explained, sensing Tidus' confusion from across the room. "Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still living bodies."

"Huh?" Tidus questioned, wondering how that could even work.

"Now they live forever" Lulu went on. "Trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon."

"All that in this room" Tidus asked, not able to believe a single word of it. There was no way something as powerful as that could be contained in such a small room. "So, what's Yuna doing in there?"

"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin" Wakka explained just as the door that Yuna had gone into opened slowly.

She emerged unsteadily and her guardians supported her weight, murmuring questions and helpful words to her as Tidus stood there feeling rather awkward.

_There was something I didn't tell anyone else that day. That song we heard there in the temple, I knew it from my childhood. It was proof that Spira and Zanarkand were connected…somehow. At least, to me it was. Maybe that's why suddenly, I felt like I just wanted to go home. I tried to say something, to tell them…but the words wouldn't come._

Once they finally made it outside, they were greeted by a series of prayers from villagers who had been waiting for Yuna to emerge from the temple. Although she was weary, she regarded their compliments with kindness and talked to them like they were all old friends who she hadn't spoken to in years.

As Tidus watched Yuna being fawned over by the villagers, he was transported back to a time when he was the one that people adored. He was the one that people crowded around. He was the one that people loved. Now, he was just the one who followed in the background. Now, he was the one that no one really cared for. Although it made him feel sad, he finally felt okay with that.

_I thought I had put my feelings for Zanarkand behind me, but they were there and they grew inside me bigger and bigger till I was just about ready to burst._

Tidus was more than happy when they finally got to leave. It meant he wouldn't have to be around it for much longer. Soon, they would be back on a boat. Soon he would be able to escape it all for a while.

"Are…are you okay?" Yuna asked as the all walked down the stairs dejectedly.

"I…I don't know" Tidus answered honestly, sick of pretending that everything was fine in his life. He just needed someone to talk to.

"What do you want to do" She asked, staring at him intently as she waited for his answer. It was nice to have someone so caring by his side.

"To scream real loud." He admitted with a small grin. She chuckled at his response as Tidus grabbed his hair and let out a loud scream, no longer caring that people were watching him as though he was a madman. He just needed to get this off his chest.

The walk back to Kilika port was a lot quicker and smoother than the walk to the temple. They walked hastily and Tidus was glad to get back in the shade. All he wanted to do was get on the boat and forget about this whole ordeal.

By the time they had finally reached the pier, Tidus felt like he was returning home. He had missed the feeling of safety. He had missed feeling like he belonged somewhere.

He was so grateful when he saw the ship docked with larger than life letters spelling out: S.S. Winno.

"Off to Luca at last" Wakka cheered as they climbed aboard. All Tidus wanted to do was sit down and relax for once. "The matches start as soon as we get there, so rest up on the way, ya?"

Tidus watched Kilika for one last moment as the ship began to pull away. He liked this place. Once Yuna defeated Sin, he was sure to come back here. Maybe he would be able to get her to tag along. It would be nice to visit here once more with his friends.

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_**You all have every right to hate me for how long this chapter is! I hope you don't all get bored when you're reading this. Anyway, the next chapter will be S.S. Winno, so I hope you all enjoy this next one. Thanks for reading! Feedback's appreciated!**_

* * *

_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	7. SS Winno

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

_**Thank you all for reading the previous chapter. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Feedback is much appreciated! I apologise in advance, but this chapter will be much shorter than the previous ones as it will end when they arrive in Luca. **_

_**THANK YOU:**_

_**CoffeeGirl09:**__** Thank you very much for your wonderful review. I hope you enjoy this next installment too!**_

_**Chapter Seven: S.S. Winno**_

By the time night had fallen around Tidus, he was feeling much more relaxed now that that he wasn't stuck in the emotional whirlwind that had been Kilika. The air around him was cooling and a gentle breeze was embracing him as the ship cut the water in its path gracefully.

Tidus sat at the highest point of the ship in the shadows, mulling over everything that had happened to him over the past few days. He thought about the fear he felt when Yuna threw herself in front of that Sinspawn. He thought about the surge of protection he had felt over her when he heard she hadn't emerged from the cloister of trials. He thought about Chappu, Lulu and Wakka and what must have unfolded between them to make them so bitter.

Footsteps on the steps broke the silence that Tidus had been sitting ever so comfortably in. When he saw Wakka and Lulu emerging, he decided it would be best to keep to the shadows and keep himself concealed as he tried to make an escape. Slowly, he edged away back to the steps and clambered down before they had a chance to notice him. Whatever was going on between them, they had to sort it out one way or another and Tidus didn't think they would manage that with him watching them.

"Whatcha all talkin' about" Tidus asked as he approached Yuna, Kimahri and the Besaid Aurochs who had been muttering furiously…probably about the Luca Goers. After all, they had been a rather spicy topic of conversation after the scene they made at the temple of Kilika.

"Who are you supposed to be?" A snooty voice questioned and Tidus immediately recognised it. Yes, whatever it was they were talking about had to be to do with the Luca Goers considering the fact that they were standing incredibly nearby.

"Ah, I remember him" The blonde said as he surveyed Tidus. The snobbish look he shot him next proved that Tidus wasn't 'fit' enough to be considered as an equal. "Guy from Kilika. You know, one of the Besaid Aurochs…said something about winning the cup."

The red-head leader gave a chuckle as he morphed the words, "Oh right, you're that idiot."

"Don't call him that" Yuna scolded, her eyes narrowing in annoyance as she attempted to hide her shock at the nerve of the Luca Goers. It felt nice for Tidus to have someone support him for once. If Yuna was angry, that was the end of that. Surely no one could treat her badly.

"But he is an idiot" The leader retorted. Apparently Tidus was wrong…people were willing to treat her badly if it meant that they could look better. "They don't got what it takes to win the cup."

"Well, they do now that I'm here" Tidus argued, puffing his chest out to make himself look even bigger. He wondered how he could go from being the star player of the Zanarkand Abes and being loved by everyone to being looked down on by a feeble team.

"Yes, they will win" Yuna affirmed with such a strong sense of determination, it sparked the one inside of Tidus. Suddenly, he felt like screaming from the rooftops that he was going to win…that he was going to carry that cup all the way back to Besaid as he laughed in the faces of the Luca Goers. "He used to be the star player of the Zanarkand Abes."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, sniggers met her ears as the Luca Goers fought to hold back a tremendous laugh. They clearly didn't believe Yuna about Zanarkand and Tidus found himself wishing that he hadn't even engaged in this argument with the Goers…because there was no way he could win now. Certainly not when they had the advantage on his hometown.

"Yeah, as if anyone lived in those ruins" He scoffed as he shook his head in disbelief. Tidus clenched his fists together, no longer trusting that he would be able to stay calm. When it got to his hometown, he was sensitive. Nobody could speak a bad word about it…not when he was around.

"It's not ruins" Yuna pressed on. Tidus just wished she'd stop. There was no way in Spira that these pretentious men were going to listen to her reasoning. "There's a big city there. There is!"

"Erm" Tidus voiced, trying to diffuse the tension as Yuna glared daggers at the Blitzball players. Perhaps it would just be best if everyone went their separate ways here. Both sides were clearly adamant on their beliefs and weren't going to listen to whatever the other said. "I…uh…got too close to Sin and…" Well, he might as well stick to old faithful to get him out of a sticky situation.

"There is a city" Yuna continued, hurt mixing in with her determination at the fact that Tidus wouldn't stand up for his beliefs…that Tidus wouldn't support her like she had done for him when he was the one getting mocked. "Really!" And with that, she turned away from the group and refused to speak anymore. It seemed she didn't want to partake in these silly games for a second longer. Not if she could see that her efforts were futile.

"Right, whatever your ladyship says" The leader agreed although there was a clear mocking tone in his voice that Yuna chose to ignore. Seeing that Yuna wasn't going to rise to the bait, he turned and waltzed away as his followers scurried after him.

Tidus chose not to speak to Yuna after this. She needed time to cool down after the showdown. She clearly needed some time away from Tidus. After all, she was obviously angry with him for not helping her out.

Instead, he chose to creep back up the steps and listen to what was transcending between Wakka and Lulu. He had to know other people were having problems. He didn't think he could handle being the only one with them.

"Well, say something" He heard the cold voice order. Tidus was just glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of Lulu's wrath. Although, he was beginning to believe that Yuna's may be worse. At least with Lulu it was a common occurrence. She'd get over it in time. Would Yuna? "You'll take responsibility?" He could see Wakka sitting with his back to a pillar and his knees drawn to his chest like that of a naughty child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Lulu was standing over him, glaring hard with that imposing air circling around her like it was protecting her.

"Relax!" Wakka burst out, looking as though he was tired of being treated like a child by Lulu. "He's bound to know someone in Luca."

"And if not?" Lulu questioned, taking Wakka's outburst all in her stride.

"He could always join the Blitz team" Wakka suggested as his eyes searched for another thought. He needed to justify his reasons for bringing Tidus to the Besaid village. Tidus could feel his heart sink as he realised what was going on here. He was the problem between Lulu and Wakka. Lulu didn't want him there for a second longer and Wakka was regretting ever bringing him the first place. "Anyhow, it's better than just leaving him in Besaid."

"What? Just leaving him in Luca?" She questioned. That was the last thing Tidus wanted. From what everyone was saying, Luca was a big place. He was bound to get lost or swallowed whole by it. Why couldn't he just stay with Wakka? After all, Yuna did want to make him a guardian. He would be much happier doing that.

"What you want me to do?" Wakka asked in outrage. It seemed that whatever he suggested, Lulu found a way to run that idea straight into the ground. He began to lose interest and began to feel saddened by the lack of friendship Wakka had for Tidus, so he slowly descended the stairs before hearing something the piqued his interest.

"Yuna wants to make him a guardian" She reminded. That sentence was enough to make Tidus climb the steps he had previously walked down.

"Oh yeah…jeez" Wakka sighed sadly. Was it really such a bad thing that Tidus could become a guardian? Wakka had been the one to tell him that he had talent. Shouldn't he want him around? "There's that too, eh?"

"And whose fault is that?" Lulu questioned with a pointed stare. Why did it have to be anyone's fault? Couldn't they just be happy that there could be another person protecting Yuna's life? Surely it should be a good thing.

"Not mine!" Wakka protested, only serving in justifying Lulu's reasons for treating him like a child. "It is mine, huh? Why do you think she wants to make him a guardian, anyway?"

"Because he's Sir Jecht's son" She answered, giving him a what-can-you-do look. Did they really see him as that much of a hindrance?

"Oh right" Wakka sighed once again with that sad tone that made Tidus' skin crawl. "Wait, you sure 'bout that? He's really Sir Jecht's son?"

"It's hard to say, but Yuna seems to believe so" Lulu sighed, probably wishing there was just some easy fix to all of this. No matter what happened, it seemed that somebody was going to get hurt. At that moment, Tidus had only respect for Lulu. She was so compatible with the Summoner that she guards, that she was willing to trust her judgement and believe whatever she may think despite how far-fetched it may sound.

"Okay…" Wakka trailed off.

"_Okay_" Lulu repeated with outrage planted firmly on her face as though she couldn't understand why she wasn't getting through to him. "_Okay. _That's all you have to say?"

"Well yeah, I mean he's gotta decide for himself, ya?" Wakka defended hastily. Clearly he wasn't a big fan of being on the receiving end of Lulu's wrath either. "Well, him and Yuna, I guess."

"You're right…for once" Lulu agreed as she shot him a playful smirk. Woah, now that was not something Tidus had expected to see. Lulu actually looked flirty. God, what was Wakka's secret?

Wakka cleared his throat with a pointed look and a playful glare glinting in his eyes. Tidus didn't know if he could watch for a second longer…this was getting too weird. It was like watching his mother and his old man share a kiss. Simply wrong.

"I wonder which is best" Lulu continued, ignoring Wakka's flirting as she fell into a deep haze of thought. "Why don't you tell him he should?"

"He should what?" Wakka asked cluelessly.

"Become Yuna's guardian" Lulu answered without any of the impatient attitude she would have used had it been Tidus who answered the question.

"Why me?" Wakka asked, looking like another conversation with Tidus asking a question every second was the last thing he wanted.

"Because Yuna can't" Lulu answered gravely.

"Why not?" He asked. He seemed to be trying to push this responsibility on to anyone else who would give him the time of day.

"He hates his father" Lulu revealed as though she was telling a story to a group of eager listeners. "What he was…what he did. Do you really think she can possibly say to him, 'I want you to be my guardian like your father was to mine?'"

"Aren't you being over-sensitive?" Wakka questioned as Tidus thought about the hilarity of what he was saying. He had never thought of Lulu had sensitive, but he could still see where Lulu was coming from. The last thing he wanted was to ever be compared to his old man. He'd had enough of that when he was growing up. She gave an exasperated sigh, forcing Wakka to add, "Alright, alright. I'll try talking to him after the tournament."

"Be discreet" She advised

"I know" He assured. "It's his decision. He doesn't like his father?"

"Apparently" Lulu answered with a shrug as though problems with parents were the least of anyone's worries right now. "He told Yuna as much."

"Hating your own father, huh?" Wakka said wistfully, probably thinking back to his own moments with his father. They were probably better than Tidus'. "Sounds like a luxury to me. I don't even remember my parents." Oh, perhaps it wasn't the memories he was thinking of. Perhaps he was thinking of what could have been if he could remember them. "Can't say how I feel about 'em."

"I…I was five then" Lulu shared, clearly not understanding how to act around the conversation of parents. She didn't seem like she was the type to talk about emotions. At least not her own. "So, I remember mine a little."

"Damn it" Wakka hissed, punching the decking of the boat as he breathed deeply in a feeble effort to try and calm himself down.

"Hmm?" Lulu questioned, turning back to face him and forgetting about her own sadness.

"Sin just takes everything away from us" Wakka cried in anger, glaring venomously at the decking as though imagining all the pain he would like to put Sin through.

Sensing that nothing more useful was going to be said, Tidus slowly retreated and thought about everything that they had said. Lulu and Wakka shared something…they had both lost their parents when they were young because of Sin and both of them shared that same hatred. At least Tidus was going to be able to stick around for a while longer as Yuna's guardian. Of course he would say yes when he was asked…if he was asked. What if they changed their minds before then?

Figuring that Yuna had probably had a chance to calm down and get over what the Luca Goers had said, he approached carefully. Her face still looked angry as though she was processing everything they had said to her again and again through her head.

"What's wrong?" Tidus asked gently, almost believing that a loud voice would make her snap and send her into rage. "You seemed kinda mad back there."

"They were being rude" She answered. Of course that was what it was that had upset her. She was the kind of girl who always wanted everyone to get along sound. The Luca Goers were everything that she stood against. "And…I do believe your Zanarkand exists. I really do y'know?"

"How come?" Tidus asked. After all, everyone had always given him that funny look that told him that he should probably seek professional help every time he had mentioned anything about coming from Zanarkand and being the star player of the Zanarkand Abes.

"Sir Jecht used to always tell me stories" Yuna began as she paced the boat, thinking of fond memories. She clearly missed Jecht. At least someone did. "It'd be great to see your home someday. I'd love to go there."

"Yeah" Tidus agreed. It'd be great for him to get to see his home one day soon too, but that was proving to be impossible.

_So Yuna, wanna come over to my place? Right…sure. As if I had a place to show her._

The topic of Zanarkand was still too hard for him to think about. So, when Yuna gave him a sweet smile, he took that as his admittance to leave.

As he scurried away from her to the complete other side of the boat, he came across a Blitzball that had probably been left over from when the Besaid Aurochs had been practising.

He rolled his yellow boot over the smooth surface of the ball, often rising when a knobbly part occurred. As he stared at the ball, he saw only Jecht…and that stupid move he had always hated. The move his old man taunted him with ever since he was a child.

Before he could even think to stop himself, he found himself getting sucked back in to an old memory that had haunted him for years.

_He was only young at the time, trying his absolute hardest to perfect the move he had seen his old man perform from time to time in the arena. Yet every time he tried to make that powerful kick that his old man had made look so easy, he stumbled and fell straight on his back with a dull thud._

"_Well, well" Jecht mocked. "Trying to follow in my footsteps, are you?"_

_He had not wanted to be caught doing this. He didn't want to give his old man the satisfaction. _

_"I usually charge for lessons, y'know." He sneered. "That shot is done like this." And then he performed this amazing Blitzball shot that had caused so many fans to scream his name with delight. Tidus didn't scream at how amazing it was. He just stared at it hopelessly and wished that he could do the same thing. "You can't do it, kid. But don't worry, my boy. You're not the only one. No one else can do it. I'm the best."_

When Tidus finally managed to stop thinking of that awful time, he was in a worse mood. He knew he could do it now. He swung his leg back and delivered that powerful kick that he had failed at so many times as a kid. When it rebounded off the mast, he kicked upwards. The voice of Jecht insulting him helped him along. Every time the ball came back, he kicked it away savagely before launching into the air and spinning rapidly, slicing the air with each turn violently. When the ball ricocheted back, he struck the ball with his foot one more time, sending it hurtling far out into the ocean, skimming the water beautifully before disappearing beyond the horizon.

When he dropped back to his feet, he let out deep breaths of elation. He had finally shown his old man who was boss. "Huh?" He chuckled as he watched the water that the ball had just shredded.

"The best" Tidus laughed, now realising that he was the best. He had overtaken Jecht in the grand scheme of things. "Yeah, right!"

In his happiness, he hadn't noticed a group of people gather around him until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Datto, what are you doing here?" Tidus asked once he had swung round to find the rest of the Besaid Aurochs standing there.

"Whoa!" Wakka grinned. "What's that called?"

"Doesn't have a name" Tidus lied. This was his shot now. Not Jecht's. Which meant it needed a brand new name. "Anyone can do it if they try."

"Show us one more time, ya?" Wakka asked, handing Tidus the ball he had been clutching to his side. He just didn't believe that this could be done again. It had to have been a fluke.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuna waving at him. Yes, he would do this for her. He would show her just how good at Blitzball he could really be.

Tidus obeyed happily, now being able to enjoy the shot because he knew he could do it. Instead of focussing on power and violence, he made it graceful. He was like a swan every time he slammed that ball. He enjoyed the feeling of the wind running through his hair and he greeted the sound of the ball skimming the water once more happily.

The group dispersed, muttering excitedly about the move and about how there was no possible way that they could lose the tournament now that they had a shot like that on their side.

Yuna gestured for Tidus to come over. Happily, he went, completely unable to keep the smile from his face. His successfulness was just too much for him to handle right now.

"That was the Jecht shot, wasn't it?" Yuna asked. Well, it wasn't anymore. He didn't own it anymore. He simply gave a snort of disapproval. Why did his old man have to get all of the credit for everything? He stalked away to the side of the boat and let his head hang in irritation. Yuna lingered behind him hesitantly, unsure of what to say to him to make him feel better.

"How do you know that?" He questioned. Yuna seemed to know more about his past than he did. It was unfair.

She gave a loud chuckle, probably remembering fond memories once more. "Sir Jecht showed it to me when I was a child. He called it the 'sublimely magnificent Jecht shot mark III'" Just hearing the proper name of that move angered Tidus. He was a con man. He didn't care about Blitzball! All he cared about was making lots of money and listening to fans fawn over him and tell him how amazing he was.

"Stupid name, huh?" Tidus spat venomously. "You know what, there is no mark I or mark II, y'know? My old man said the name mark III was just something to hook the crowd. He said they'd come back every night expecting to see mark I and mark II and…they really did come back. I used to…get so mad!"

Yuna gave a melodious giggle. How could she not see how wrong that was? How could she still think he was a good man? How could she still respect him?

"Is he alive, you think?" Tidus finally asked…it was the question that had been on his mind ever since he had first heard Yuna mention him.

"I don't know" Yuna said sadly as the laughter died abruptly on her lips. "But, Sir Jecht was my father's guardian."

"So, he famous here too?" Tidus asked in shock. How did he do it? Everywhere he went, he managed to get under people's skin.

"Yes" Yuna answered solemnly. "So, if anything happened to him, I should think word would get around fast."

"Uh-huh" Tidus agreed, thinking about what she saw saying carefully. When he went missing in Zanarkand, everyone knew about it. It was everywhere. Everyone was looking for him. If that happened here, surely the same recovery mission would take place.

"What would you do if you found him?" Yuna asked, sparking uncertainty within Tidus. How could he possibly react to seeing his old man for the first time in ten years?

"Who knows" Tidus answered as he began to pace around on the deck much like how Yuna did when she was irritated or uncertain. "I thought he died ten years ago. Well, I'd probably just smack him one…after everything he put Mom and me through…because he was famous I was always…well, you should know, Yuna. Your father's famous too. Everyone in Spira knows him, right? Ain't it tough?"

"Hmm" She voiced in agreement. Without him even having to say anything, she knew exactly what he meant. "It is hard to follow in his footsteps as a Summoner."

"Sure" Tidus said, trying to show her that he understood what she was going through.

"But, the honour of having a father like him surpasses all that." She went on earnestly. Tidus just couldn't see how she could hold so much respect for people who had made her life even harder than it had to be. "I think."

"Well, there wasn't much to honour about my old man" Tidus confessed with a sad smile. "That's for sure."

Yuna leaned back in shock and surprise at his words, not understanding how he could say something like that about his own father.

"You shouldn't say that about your father" She scolded as she gave him a disapproving stare, making him feel like one of the Luca Goers. That was the last thing he wanted.

"I got the right" He retorted firmly. Nobody could tell him how to talk about his old man. He could do exactly what he wanted in that area.

"I guess you do" She admitted calmly as her face softened into a supportive smile. Out of nowhere, a ball struck him sharply in the side, stopping him from thinking any more of his old man. He turned to see Wakka grinning widely at him like gecko.

"Show me dat move again" He ordered as the Aurochs practised behind him.

"Yo!" He called back, telling him he was on his way.

_I didn't think my old man would come to Luca. He never did like watching other people play, but I couldn't help feeling something bad was gonna happen and these feelings of mine are usually right. Sure, I had told Wakka I'd help him win the tournament, but I wasn't sure I had it in me to play at all, anymore._

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_**I'm sorry this chapter's a lot shorter than usual! Anyway, I don't think I'll be able to update anymore until after I get off my holiday, but you never know. I may be able to pull another update out of the bag. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please give me some feedback!**_

* * *

_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	8. Luca Part One

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

_**Thanks to those who read my chapter! It's appreciated. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please let me apologise in advance for the sheer length of it. I want to fit what happens in each location of Spira in one chapter which means some places, like Luca, will be long chapters! Sorry about that. Well, enjoy!**_

_**THANK YOU:**_

_**Jubulicious:**__** Thanks for reviewing! Aw thank you very much! No, I'm hoping to start playing the game again soon, though. I've got nothing to do for two months, so I might as well. Instead, I watch the walkthrough on YouTube. It's much more practical and I'd be lost without it because I use it to remind myself of the speech. As well as that, I also use the strategy guide and I've read quite a few other novelizations of this game which helped get me in the right mind-set to write it :')**_

_**CoffeeGir09:**__** Thanks for a wonderful review! I'm sure the length of this chapter will make up for it!**_

_**Chapter Eight: Luca Part One**_

When the beautiful town slipped into view, Tidus almost jumped onto the mast in shock. Kilika and Besaid were small villages, but this was the big-shot. Voices shouted, people cheered, boats pulled into the dock. Almost everywhere Tidus looked, there was some sort of action going on.

The sea glittered like diamonds as the bright sun beamed down lovingly. It was almost as though just being here was an infection. Everyone pulling up to this wonderful place had huge, shining smiles on their faces. It was almost as if someone had told them that Sin had been vanquished.

"Unbelievable" He heard a voice shout in the distance, warped and clearly spoken into a megaphone. "And it's time. Ladies and gentleman the day you've all been waiting for: the opening tournament of the season. This event is sponsored by Yevon and this year we celebrate Maester Mika's fiftieth year in office. "

Balloons were dotted about everywhere like grains of sand, their tethers held tightly by children as they ran to meet the Blitzball players who had just gotten off their boats.

"Ah, over there" He announced. "The ships carrying the players are arriving now." As if it had been planned, every single person in Luca ran to the docks to meet the teams they were supporting. The screams grew louder, the footsteps thundered faster and Tidus finally began to feel like he had found a place he belonged. This wasn't new to him like everything else seemed to be lately. He knew this well. He knew how to deal with adorning fans…although, he wasn't going to have those here. It was like he was starting out as a Blitzball player all over again.

"All the way from Kilika…it's the Kilika Beasts" He roared as a round of applause greeted the Blitzball players who had just suffered so much destruction. They walked off the boat quickly and hurried over to a group of fans, shaking their hands and signing Blitzball's like there was no tomorrow. "High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them…a big name to live up to! Their whole town was recently attacked by Sin…isn't that right, Jimma?"

"Yes, Bobba" Jimma agreed. "They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year."

"Exciting isn't it, folks?" Bobba cheered as the Kilika Beasts gave a mighty wave to the crowd. With their charisma, it was almost as though there hadn't even been an attack. They were most certainly a Blitzball team to look up to. "Our next team off the ramp is…well, well, well, if it isn't the Besaid Aurochs. They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility. I've never seen a team this bad."

Tidus stood rooted to the spot with a hard glare. It seemed that everyone was going to underestimate them this year. They had a new weapon now. No one was expecting them to actually be good. When they won the cup, Tidus would walk out of Luca with his head held high, secretly sneering at everyone else's doubt.

"That's right" Bobba continued as though he was asking for a punch in the face. "In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round. Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today."

"Best of luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid" Jimma chipped in, adding himself to Tidus' hate list in the process. Tidus could feel the sniggers and the laughter around him…only fuelling his anger even more.

"Right, Jimma" Bobba agreed. "Moving right along, our next team is…" The voice trailed off as the Besaid Aurochs gathered around where all of the other Blitzball teams were standing. A couple of the die-hard Aurochs fan aforementioned came scurrying along after them. Most spoke to Wakka and gave Tidus curious glances as though he had grown two heads. None asked for an autograph like they had when he was in the star player of the Zanarkand Abes. Well, they'd be asking for autographs after the match if Tidus had anything to do with it.

He'd make sure of it.

"Here they are, folks!" Bobba cheered just as Tidus turned to see a group of pretentious Blitzball players sauntering off their boat. He didn't need Bobba to introduce them because he had already experienced some rather aggravating ordeals with them. The scowl on his face was absolutely menacing as he watched them wave and bow as though they owned the place. "Our very own Luca Goers."

Admittedly, the crowd went wild for them. Women cheered as loud as they could, scrambling around just to get a grasp of one of their arms. Men puffed out their chests and acted as though they were old friends with them when, in reality, they had never met them before in their lives.

But that was what Blitzball was all about. It wasn't just a way to distract Spira from Sin and all of the torture they were going through. No, it was also an intoxicating sport. It messed with your head. When you watched a Blitzball match, you became a whole other person.

"They've got power" Bobba went on. "They've got speed." Would it ever end? "They've got team-work" Apparently not. "They're an all-round first class team and they're back home in Luca."

"Without a doubt, they are the favourite this year, Bobba." Jimma took over. Was the appreciation for this team ever going to end? It didn't seem like it would. Every time commentator ran out of something to say, the other would jump in whilst they tried to think of new material. "And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today." Well, Tidus seemed to be capable of miracles lately.

"You can say that again, Jimma" Bobba called. "Look at the crowd, folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know and you know, folks. The Luca Goers are number one!"

The crowd screamed once more just as Tidus stormed away, completely unable to handle all the adorning fans for the Goers. They didn't deserve it. They most certainly weren't good people. Tidus, on the other hand, had been a good person even when he was admired by everyone. He would never have looked down upon another Blitzball team.

With an anger that looked like it would have belonged to Jecht, Tidus kicked one of the crates Wakka was leaning against.

"Hey, it's like this every year, ya?" Wakka sympathised with a sad smile. Although he wanted it to be different, he knew it never would be. Wakka took a step away from the crates…probably because if Tidus kicked them again, they would come tumbling down and that would not make a pretty sight for Wakka. "Don't let it bother ya"

How could it not bother him? Blitzball was his sport. Hell, it was one of the only things he was good at. He wasn't about to let some pathetic team that probably weren't even that good ruin this for him.

With that thought in his mind, he launched up on one of the crates and stood tall and proud, his eyes glaring at the Luca Goers with an intensity that made him feel as though his head was going to explode.

He grabbed a megaphone off one the fans who had been using it to shout out that 'Bickson was the love of her life.'

"STOP RIGHT THERE, GOERS" Tidus shouted into the megaphone, feeling the sound infecting everyone within a five mile radius of him. With each word he spoke, he felt more and more empowered…it was as though he could talk for hours about how he was going to crush them in the finals. Everyone stared at him with shock and distaste, but he knew that they would be staring at him with admiration in just a few hours. Bickson looked almost ready to explode in anger. Tidus took that as a good sign and let the words continue to spill out. "YOU GUYS ARE SMILIN' NOW, BUT NOT FOR LONG" It was as though the words had just created themselves and were prancing out of his mouth. At that moment, Tidus didn't think he had control of his own speech. "CAUSE THIS YEAR, US AUROCHS ARE TAKING THE CUP!" He followed with a loud laugh that pierced the ears of everyone in Luca whilst Wakka just watched the carnage with a hopeless shake of his head.

"What in Yevon's were you doing up there?" Wakka asked when he finally managed to drag him off the crate. At this moment, Yuna, Lulu and Kimahri stormed around the corner. Lulu most certainly didn't look happy about all of this.

"We sure stood out, though" Datto grinned, but only to receive a hard glare from Lulu. She didn't want a bad name to be reflected onto Yuna.

"We were on the sphere" Letty cheered as he regarded Tidus with complete admiration. At least some people could appreciate what he had done for the team.

"We were?" Keepa asked, looking around frantically as though they were still being publicised.

"Maester Mika is here" A voice cried, pulling Tidus from his moment of glory.

"Already?" Another questioned in shock as she ran past the group to get a close look.

"The number three dock" Another alerted as he sprinted past them with excitement marring his face. Was there ever going to be a moment of peace and quiet for Tidus in Spira? Everything always seemed to be so fast-paced.

"What's up now?" Tidus asked with a wine as he gave an impatient sigh.

"Maester Mika has arrive…that's what" Yuna said calmly, but Tidus could see the look of delight on her face. She wanted to go to the number three dock. She wanted to see this Maester guy.

"Mika? Maester?" Tidus questioned. It would be lovely if he could understand at least one thing about Spira. Sadly, that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon.

"Maester Mika is the leader of the peoples of Spira" Lulu explained with a bored sigh. It seemed she really did hate telling him all about the history of Spira. "He's come all the way from Bevelle. The tournament is being held to honour his fifty years as Maester."

"Fifty years?" He asked in disbelief. He had always hoped that by the time he was over fifty, he'd have a big house to relax in with his own personal Blitzball stadium. He didn't want to still be doing hard work at that age. "Shouldn't he be…uh…retired by now?"

"Hey, mind your mouth now" Wakka chastised, giving Tidus a rough push on the back. Apparently this Maester Mika guy was important…otherwise Wakka wouldn't be giving him such a hard time about it.

"Let's all go see him" Yuna suggested with a hopeful look. Yes, it was clear that she was very excited by the arrival of Maester Mika.

The group agreed, thinking it would only be disrespectful if they didn't. Trying to get near the dock proved to be a difficult task. Almost everyone in Luca seemed to have gathered around it.

The best spot to stand that they could find was behind many heads. Wakka had managed to squeeze Yuna closer to the front, but all Tidus could see were heads and all he could hear was excited whispers. No matter how much he tried to stretch, he couldn't make out the boat very well.

"Hmm, can't see a thing" He complained.

"Shhh" Wakka hissed, holding a finger to his lips to signify silence. After the stunt Tidus had just pulled, he figured it would probably be best to go along with what Wakka wanted.

At that moment, a band began to play a song that seemed so jolly. It was the kind of music Tidus expected to hear at a Christmas party when everyone had had a little too much to drink. He couldn't make out any specifics, but through the gaps of bodies, he could see a huge array of colours and lots of commotion. It seemed that wherever Maester Mika went, the party followed.

Sick of only seeing blurs of what was going on, Tidus pushed the people in front of him aside, giving them apologetic looks as he did so. To his surprise, they didn't look like they minded all that much. In fact, they looked rather understanding about the whole thing. They must understand the big deal about wanting to see Maester Mika.

It looked like a royal march. On the linings of the red carpet, stood the musicians who looked out of this world. There was no way Tidus could say what creature they were, but they looked simply astounding with their long golden robes and fancy hats.

Guards stood there too, aiming their guns at nothing in particular. They looked poised to massacre anything that was a threat to Maester Mika without a moment of hesitation. Tidus made a mental note not to get too close to them. He didn't think that Wakka would be able to help him out of a situation like that no matter how hard he tired.

A tall man with rather revealing clothes stepped off the boat and walked down the red carpet with two strange looking men following. His hair was a greyish blue colour, so spiky and styled that it looked like it could pierce someone if they got on the wrong side of him.

He walked with so much grace and power that it gave Tidus the shivers and also sent the crowd into a flurry of chatter.

"That's a Guado, right?" The man in front of Tidus asked…just another word that Tidus didn't understand. It was no big deal anymore. It was nice to know that the arrival of this strange man was confusing to others, too.

"Who could it be?" A feminine voice asked, craning her neck to try and see around her friends.

"Isn't that Maester Seymour?" Another suggested from the outskirts of the group. Jesus, how many of these Maester people are there?

He turned to face the crowd and as he stared at them all, Tidus felt a wave of admiration as well as fear. Maester Seymour was clearly a powerful, intimidating and slightly menacing person. Tidus didn't want to get on the wrong side of him anytime soon.

He turned back to face the boat and prayed with a low bow…and the crowd instantly loved him and showed their appreciation by mimicking his moves. It was only Tidus who watched absentmindedly as he took in the cluster of important looking people getting ready to get off the boat.

An old man dressed in pastel coloured robes, walked slowly off the boat and approached Maester Seymour who was still crouched down out of respect. This must be Maester Mika.

"People of Spira" He began with a raspy voice that rolled all of his _r's. _Tidus believed he could listen to his voice all day. It was quite possibly the most relaxing and soothing thing he had heard all day. Even though he was quiet, his voice seemed to captivate everyone who was listening to him speak. He was clearly a pillar of strength to Spira as was Yuna. "I thank you for your generous welcome. Rise Maester Seymour…and all of you as well."

As though they were being possessed by him, they all stood back up in unison, their eyes never leaving him.

"I present to you…the son Maester Jyscal Guado" Maester Mika continued importantly as Maester Seymour turned back to the face them with a grim face. After all, first impressions are hard to erase. "Who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past."

Maester Seymour gave another gracious bow, showing no emotion over the thought of his father's passing. Perhaps he had hated his old man as much as Tidus had hated his.

"As many of you already know," Maester Mika went on in that croaky voice of his that sounded ready to die out at any second, "He has been official ordained a Maester of Yevon."

"I am Seymour Guado" He introduced with a voice so calm it almost sounded deadly. He regarded everyone with warmth, although Tidus didn't like it. He couldn't place it, but there was just something a little…off about all of this. "I am honoured to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father, Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy and to fulfil my duties as Maester to the best of my abilities."

Most watching him prayed once more at his words, although Tidus just stood and watched again…wondering what it was that made him so special. There was no way he could explain why, but he just never liked him from the get go.

"You too" Wakka ordered as he pushed Tidus once more. It seemed he was getting a lot of that today. "Bow your head." Although bowing his head was the last thing he wanted to do, he did it anyway because he knew how much hassle he would get off Wakka if he didn't…and he knew how upset Yuna would be if she thought he was being disrespectful.

When he came back up, he found Maester Seymour staring in their direction. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. He was staring straight at Yuna with a look that Tidus couldn't discern no matter how hard he tried. Yuna didn't look away either. Although she made a sound to suggest she was surprised, she held his gaze. It was then, standing watching the two like a Ping-Pong match, Tidus realised that he hated the Maester of Yevon. This was certainly a recipe for disaster.

"Really psyches you up, ya?" Wakka sighed as he watched Maester Seymour saunter away in that suave way of his. Tidus was barely listening to a word he was saying. He was too busy trying to gauge a reaction out of Yuna. Her head was hanging low and her cheeks were turning a deep shade of crimson which continued to anger Tidus even further. How did Maester Seymour manage to fluster her that much. "Alright, last meeting before the match. Hustle!" And that was when everything got into action.

Tidus could barely even register where he was going. He just followed the string of Blitzball players and thought about everything that had just happened. They walked through many corridors and got many stares from townspeople who sniggered at them as they walked past. After what Tidus had done with the megaphone, they had become and even bigger laughing stock.

They led Tidus further and further away from the city centre and into an open building where other Blitzball players were. This must be the locker rooms. Tidus asked one of the ladies at the desk where the Besaid Aurochs locker room was and she led him down a set of steps before going down one more corridor and pointing at the last door on the left.

As soon as the heavy, wooden door cracked open, Tidus everyone's faces snap up to see who it was. The Besaid Aurochs really looked worried right now. Was it like this every year?

Once they saw it was only Tidus they gave a sigh of sadness. Funnily enough, this didn't make Tidus feel any better about the upcoming match. They really knew how to make a guy feel better.

He edged in carefully and took in the room. It was nothing how it used to be in Zanarkand. This place was a lot more simplistic. There were benches, lockers, and plain wallpaper. Blitzball players here didn't get treated like superstars anymore. What happened to all of the pampering?

Something was missing here.

"Where's Wakka?" Tidus asked as he took a seat on the edge of one of the benches. Yes, they were as uncomfortable as they looked.

"At the match up draws" Jassu explained and that was when it all fell into place for Tidus. The match up draws were always a gruelling process. Everyone was always hoping to play a bad team to give themselves a head start.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year" Datto sighed sadly as though the memory was still fresh in his head and still haunting him cruelly.

"The year before that and the one before that, too" Botta chipped in, looking like he was about to throw up at any second. Tidus most certainly didn't want to be around to see that when it happened.

"Well, we would have lost to anyone anyway" Keepa reminded sadly. It was sad that they were going to start listening to the things that the Luca Goers said. They shouldn't be saying that about themselves. They should be going out there with their heads held high and they should be focussing on playing the best game of their lives. Wakka had to end on a high note.

The door swung open widely and in stepped Wakka with the biggest grin on his face in the entire world. It was the that Tidus let out the breath that he hadn't even realised he'd been holding. He was surprised by how much he cared for the Besaid Aurochs. They had to win.

"Cap'n Wakka" Datto blurted, launching from his seat on the hard bench and fixing him with an awaiting stare. Once again, Tidus held a breath and waited for the news. If it was the Luca Goers, he'd rip out his own hair. No, surely it wouldn't be them. Why would Wakka be grinning of they were playing the Goers?

Wakka held up a fist of pride before explaining, "We're playing the Al Bhed Psyches first." Tidus assumed that was a good thing. After all, he knew nothing about the teams here apart from the fact that the Luca Goers were considered as champions around here. "If we win, we're in the finals."

For a moment, everything was silent. No one dared to believe what Wakka had just said. This news was too good for any of them to comprehend. This news was quite possibly beyond their wildest dreams.

"That's right, we got seeded" Wakka cheered as he shot his grin at each Blitzball player in the room individually. Slowly, they all began to believe what was really happened. They may actually be in with a chance of winning the cup this year. This was actually a dream come true. "Two wins and we're the champions."

The room became all cheers as the Besaid Aurochs celebrated by hugging each other, fist pounding and generally making as much noise as was possible.

"First thing's first, let's go over the basics again, boys" Wakka ordered. The Aurochs gave a low groan in protest, but the look Wakka gave them told them that there was no arguing. It was time to get strategizing.

The hour they had to get through everything was a long and gruelling one. Questions were asked and answered and they went over the same thing about ten times over. By the end, everyone knew exactly where they were supposed to be in every possible scenario. They could guess how the game was going to turn out. They knew everything about that Blitzball stadium like the back of their hands.

By the time they were ready to leave the locker room, everyone felt confident that the champions would be the Besaid Aurochs this time.

"There you are" Yuna said as she came waltzing into the locker room with Lulu in tow. She was most certainly walking with a purpose. "Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a café."

"Au-Auron" Tidus spluttered. That was the last name he ever expected to hear. How on Earth would Auron have gotten here?

Yuna nodded firmly in confirmation. "Yes, Sir Auron. Let's go find him."

Tidus followed slowly, unable to describe how he was feeling at the moment. It was Auron's fault he was here. Why had he let go of him? He wasn't sure that he wanted to see him again, but it didn't look like he had any other way of getting out of this place.

"HEY! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey" Wakka gushed, almost leaping forward to pull Tidus back. No one had believed this would be a flaw in their plan. "The game starts like real soon. C-come back quick, ya?"

"Hey, I'll be back" Tidus assured. There was no way he was missing a Blitzball match just because of Auron. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Yeah, okay…" Wakka trailed off, but it was clear that he thought the tournament had ended before it had even began.

"Hey, Wakka" Tidus began, strolling back into the room. "You're stiff, man. No, no, not your face. Just breathe out, relax."

"Okay" Wakka sighed as he massaged his face, trying to relieve some of the nerves the pressure had brought him.

"Like this" Tidus demonstrated. "Just breathe."

Yuna simply giggled at the display before her whilst Lulu shook her head in distaste. Seeing Wakka like this was clearly an unusual, yet amusing thing for them. See how Blitzball is an infectious sport, now?

"Maybe now we can find Sir Jecht" Yuna smiled once the laughter had died down and they had made it out into the corridor.

"Huh? How?" Tidus asked, unsure if he even wanted to find his old man.

"Sir Auron was also my father's guardian" Yuna explained. "So, he might know where Sir Jecht is. Let's go now."

_It didn't even occur to me to think that the Auron Yuna was talking about and the one that I knew from Zanarkand could be two different people. I don't know why, but I knew it was the same guy. I knew it was the same Auron._

Tidus headed after Yuna obediently. She seemed to know Luca well. She weaved through the crowds, smiled at anyone who greeted her still managed to guide Tidus through with a helpful hand.

Tidus, on the other hand, was getting bashed about like a ragdoll. How much longer would it take to get to this café. By the time he got there, he would probably have a big, black eye and a bust lip if he wasn't careful. He didn't think he'd be very good at playing Blitzball if he couldn't see.

"Y myto cissuhan" A voice breathed, watching them run through the crowds.

"Fa sicd nabund" The other chipped in, also regarding them coolly as they headed their way.

"Hey, Al Bhed Psyches, right?" Tidus asked once he noticed the two. "Some Al Bhed saved me the other day and…this girl Rikku gave me food and…uh…you don't understand me, do you? Uh…uh…anyway, if you meet Rikku, tell her 'thanks' for me. Oh, and as for the first game? May the best team win." With that, he sauntered off feeling too awkward to wait to see if they said anything back to him.

And then the walk…well, battering in Tidus' case, continued once more as they hurried on to find the café that Auron had been in. They thundered down stairs, ran across bridges, found dead ends, but eventually they made it back into the city centre where the festivities were still going on.

"The stores of the stadium are closed during a tournament" A familiar voice called and Tidus turned to find none other than O'aka. "But I'm always open for business."

"Sorry, O'aka" Tidus shouted back as Yuna continued on. "I'm a little busy right now. Next time, though!" And then the pursuit continued.

"I'm sorry" Yuna said as she stood behind a crowd, trying to get past them to continue on. This one was just too thick for her to battle her way. "Please let me through." Almost immediately, they all spread out to let her past. It was a good thing Tidus had a Summoner with him. It made everything a lot easier. "Hey, let's go."

"You're really famous" Tidus noted, unable to stop himself as he scanned the crowd of whispering townspeople.

She cringed away and gave an awkward laugh. She clearly didn't enjoy people bringing attention to it.

"I hope we don't get separated" Yuna sighed as she took in the sheer amount of people in Luca. It would be very easy for someone to get lost today and it would be very hard to find them once more.

"Yuna!" Tidus called, wondering what she was up to. For some reason, she had started to look a little saddened.

"Huh?" She questioned.

As she turned, Tidus let out a loud whistle that passers-by stared at him, believing he was probably a little bit insane.

"What was that?" She asked, the smile returning to her face.

"In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on Blitz players" Tidus laughed wildly. His whistle screeched once more as Yuna looked on in fascination, her hand going tentatively for her mouth as she thought about mimicking his actions. "You try it too" Tidus urged as he showed her what to do. "Put your fingers in your mouth like this." It was a wonder she could hear him with how garbled his voice was beginning to sound.

"Like this?" She asked.

"Nu-uh" He shook his head, showing her his fingers once more. "Not like that. _This._"

She assessed him thoroughly at mimicked him exactly.

"Then you just blow" Tidus taught once he was happy that she had the shape of it all right. She blew, but all that came out was an airy breath rather than a piercing whistle.

"It's not working" She chuckled as she took her fingers out of her mouth and gave a shrug.

"Practice" Tidus advised as though it was the obvious solution.

"Okay" Yuna promised earnestly. She really was going to learn how to whistle even if it was the last thing she did.

"Hey, use that if we get separated" Tidus suggested as though he had just come up with the cure for cancer. "Then, I'll come running, okay?" She agreed with a smile, but Tidus couldn't tell what else was going through her head. "Well, I guess we should just stick together then…till you can do it."

"Yes, Sir" She cheered with a cheeky grin.

They continued on without stopping. It didn't take long for them to get to the epicentre of Luca which was possibly the most hectic place Tidus had seen. It was a circle, surrounded by shops, stalls and flowers with small children running around with larger than life balloons and parents chasing after them as they threatened not to take them to the tournament. At the very centre stood a huge statue of some kind that Tidus didn't understand, but could appreciate. Surrounding this, there were several benches for the townspeople to relax upon as they waited for the tournament to start.

"Whoa! This is a pretty big town" Tidus gasped in admiration. It was reminding him more and more of Zanarkand as every day passed.

"Luca is the second largest city in Spira" Yuna educated as she looked on in wonder. This had to make a huge difference from everything she was used to in Besaid. At least Tidus had gone from one large city to another large city. There wasn't all that much distinction between the two in terms of size.

"I thought every town was little" Tidus explained as he turned to face Yuna who turned her attention back to him. "Y'know like Besaid and Kilika."

"Towns don't usually get bigger than that" Yuna sighed sadly as she hung her head before walking forward, so she didn't have to face Tidus anymore. "Because when a lot of people start to gather…"

"Sin?" Tidus questioned, finishing her sentence in the process. Yuna nodded in confirmation as she took a deep breath. There must be so much pressure on her right now. Tidus couldn't even begin to imagine it. "What about Luca? It's safe here?"

"It's not any different" Yuna claimed. "But the stadium is here. The crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength."

"They protect the _stadium_?" Tidus asked in disbelief. Surely there were much more important things worth protecting.

"Blitzball is really the only entertainment that we have" Yuna shrugged as though this was common. Tidus must have really taken all the things he had in Zanarkand for granted. It all made sense now. In a world where it's all about fear and death, of course people would risk their lives for a little Blitzball if it meant a break from all of this worrying. "Spira's a little short on fun these days."

"Whoa" Tidus sighed as he tried to imagine growing up in a world like this. It must have been very tough for them. "Talk about pressure." He was going to have deliver a spectacular show now that he knew how much people were depending on this…on him.

"That's right" Yuna said as she gave a weak chuckle. "Is Zanarkand like this too?" It was still weird having people believe him about Zanarkand. He had half expected to be treated like a liar from now on where Zanarkand was concerned.

"Hmm, well there are more buildings" Tidus assessed as he scrutinised this city and compared it with his own. "All tall ones and cramped together." That had been one thing he hated about Zanarkand. There was barely enough room to breathe. When he made it to Besaid, he was relieved at how simplistic it was. It was almost felt as though he owned the place.

Yuna gave a gasp as she tried to imagine how amazing Zanarkand must have been in her head. "They must be so tall" She sighed in contentment. "Don't you ever get dizzy?"

Yuna's reaction amused him. It was surreal to think that she had never been in a place like that. For Tidus, it was all normal. For Yuna, it would be so alien.

Yuna gave a light giggle before getting back to the point. "Let's go find Sir Auron."

And then off they went again. They clambered up a large set of stairs before coming to something that looked like an incredibly large balcony overlooking the whole of Spira.

"Watcha doing here?" A voice asked them. "The tournament's about to start." Tidus didn't have very long left to find Auron. All of the conversations he had with Yuna had slowed them both down. If they weren't careful, they wouldn't make it back to the locker room in time.

"I'm looking for someone" Tidus answered, hoping that maybe they would be able to help. They seemed official. Perhaps they would know where Auron was.

"Well, you're looking in the wrong place" The other chipped in. "There aren't many people here."

"Everyone's either at the stadium or watching the game on the sphere" The other added. Tidus liked this one more. He didn't have as bad an attitude as his friend. "They love their Blitzball."

"Aren't you gonna watch?" Tidus asked. If everyone else was, why weren't they?

"We'd like to, but we're waiting for some couriers" The red-head explain with a sad look. It was a shame they weren't able to enjoy the tournament. "And they're late." He said vehemently to his friend. "Wanna ditch the courier and go watch the game?"

"But…but we're still on duty" The other said, torn between the two choices he was faced with. "What about the mission, Sir."

"Ah, see what I mean?" Red-head asked. "We might be a little late, but we will go watch you play."

"You better be waiting when we get there" The other smiled, already feeling the spirit of Blitzball take him over.

"Uh…yes, Sir" Tidus said awkwardly, not knowing what else he could possibly say to that. Yuna tugged on his arm, signifying that they would have to go unless they wanted to be late. Wakka would kill them both if they were. "Uh…well I'll see you two later." With that, they were off once more on this wild goose chase.

Finally, they found they entered the quaint café that Auron was supposed to be in. Tidus could smell the food and the fresh coffee beans as soon as he entered, making him want to stay and have a bite to eat before playing, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fit that into his busy schedule. Auron wasn't here. He just knew it.

"Auron's not here" He sighed sadly, finally breathing deeply. It had been a long run for him. He didn't want to tire himself out just yet.

"Hmm" Yuna thought deeply before running off to one of the women who was sitting with a big mug of coffee to ask her if she had seen him.

Tidus was just about to give up and order a cup of coffee when a collective gasp caught his attention.

"Why not talk Kimahri?" A gruff voice asked. When Tidus turned, he found a Ronso pushing Kimahri roughly in the chest. As much as Tidus wanted to help out, he knew he couldn't. If he took one step near those two, he would get knocked out in just a matter of seconds. Kimahri would have to deal with this alone. "Not seen Yenke for ten years. Say something. Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?"

"Leave Kimahri, Yenke" Biran sneered. "Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small he can't see Yenke and Biran's faces." The insults were mediocre at best, but Tidus knew they would still be angering Kimahri. He seemed to be a very proud Ronso.

"Kimahri forget Ronso friends?" Yenke asked menacingly, poised to attack at any minute. All Tidus could think about was how anyone was going to be able to stop a fight between these three Ronso. "We taught you much at time of horn-moult. Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso." He continued on as he flexed his muscles as though proving his point.

"Maybe taught too much" Biran sneered, pushing Kimahri savagely on the shoulder.

"Take 'em on" Tidus cheered to Kimahri, having absolute faith in him. He didn't deserve to be treated this way. Biran and Yenke were just like the Luca Goers.

Tidus didn't think Kimahri would actually listen to him but, to his surprise, Kimahri clenched his fists and growled at the two Ronso who only gave large laughs at him. They clearly undermined him. Kimahri gave a strong punch to Yenke, knocking him straight to the ground and met the sounds of a few cheers…mostly from Tidus. Everyone else just gave a collective gasp.

"Take it outside" The owner ordered, gesturing towards the door and glaring at the two Ronso's left standing. "The tournament's starting, ya hear?" Before the fight could end, Yenke threw a punch at Kimahri, knocking him down.

"The game!" Tidus gasped as he scurried around for his belongings. How could he have been so stupid?

The screen on the wall flickered on and the sound of Maester Mika's voice filled the café. It was no longer relaxing to Tidus. At the moment, it was like a bomb countdown. He had to get to that stadium as fast as he could.

"Today on this glorious day" He was saying. "Players from all over Spira have assembled here to participate in this great contest of bravery, skill and strength. All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today. Such is the nature of this contest. Let us the spectators play our role accordingly; let us sing to the glory of the winners and applaud equally the valour of the defeated. Contestants, may Yevon be with you."

He prayed as a sign of respect as the cheers erupted throughout the stadium as the sphere filled with water in a display of fantastic showmanship. Balloons were let go and players dived in, swimming around in an effort to warm up before the game started. All anyone could feel right now was nerves.

And with an almighty roar, the game began.

Back in the café, things were much different as Tidus made a terrifying discovery.

"Kimahri!" Tidus yelled, pulling him away from Yenke who was trying to get another punch in. "Yuna's gone." As though the fight meant nothing anymore, the Ronso sprinted from the café with Tidus following in tow. Oh, where on Earth could she have gotten to?

* * *

_**Okay, I decided Luca was much too long to fit into one chapter like I was going to. If I had done, it would have probably been about seventeen thousand words and I don't want to bore you all too much XD Anyway, the next chapter will finish Luca off nicely. I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter and thank you very much for reading. Feedback would be appreciated!**_

* * *

_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


	9. Luca Part Two

_**Final Fantasy X Novelization**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy nor do I own any character that is written about within this fictional piece of writing. I am not making any sort of profit from this project. It is merely something to serve me with some amusement and to hopefully keep those like yourself entertained. Thank you.**_

_**Thank you all for reading the previous chapter. I hope you all enjoy this chapter even though I had to split Luca up in to two sections. Anyway, thanks for reading!**_

_**THANK YOU:**_

_**CoffeeGirl09: **__**Thanks for a lovely review. I hope I write it beautifully too. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy.**_

_**LightxHopeFXIII: **__**I agree with you completely! That scene is just so great. I especially love how they manage to incorporate it into Final Fantasy X-2. Thanks for the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**Chapter Nine: Luca Part Two**_

"Where in Spira have you been?" A frantic voice asked as Tidus launched from the café close behind Kimahri. Surely she couldn't have gotten that far. They hadn't been in there that long. No, she had to be close. If only Lulu wouldn't slow them down with all of her questions.

"Huh?" Tidus asked, his eyes still scanning over the now empty epicentre. Kimahri looked itching to get going. After all, he was one of Yuna's guardians. She was in trouble. She needed him.

"Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches" Lulu informed with a grave stare. Well, at least they had a lead to go on. Someone must have seen them. No, there was probably no one. Everyone was too busy watching the Blitzball match to care about a Summoner who had been taken. The Al Bhed Psyches must have planned this. It made perfect sense. They knew that no one would be around witness their crime. They knew it would be damn near impossible to be caught.

Tidus couldn't understand why they had taken her no matter how many possibilities he thought of. Perhaps this was all just a ploy to win the Blitzball match. As long as Yuna was still missing, Tidus would be out there looking for her rather than playing the game. This would mean they had a good chance of winning. Perhaps they were going to safely return her once the tournament was over. That wasn't a risk Tidus was willing to take. It was at that moment that he realised how insignificant Blitzball really was. He had bigger fish to fry now.

"In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose" Lulu added with that same grim expression. No matter what happened, the Aurochs would lose. Yes, this was about Blitzball. Someone had managed to take something so pure and taint it by kidnapping Yuna and cheating. There wasn't a strong enough word to describe how angry Tidus was feeling.

"What?" Tidus questioned in plain shock. Blitzball didn't seem so important that it was worth stealing a Summoner for. The Al Bhed Psyches must be really desperate if they think that's what they need to do in order to win.

"If they're only Blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic" Lulu continued with worry clear in her eyes. Yuna was like her baby sister and when someone threatens her, she clearly takes it personally. "But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her."

"I'm going too" Tidus demanded. At that moment, he didn't care about the Blitzball match. Yuna was his main concern right now. She had asked him to become her guardian and he was going to act like one right now. Blitzball had to take a back-seat on this one. "This'll be no problem. They're telling the Aurochs to throw the game as if they needed to. I mean, how good a team can they be?"

Lulu regarded Tidus carefully as a war of thoughts and emotions washed through her. She couldn't tell if she had judged Tidus too harshly. She knew that she and Kimahri could handle this just fine on their own, but she also knew that having him around would really speed things up. Yuna seemed to like him. Yuna felt safer and she was much happier whenever he was around. Perhaps he was good for Yuna. Perhaps he would even make a fair guardian.

"Wakka said the same thing" Lulu sighed. "He'll take care of the game, we should go get Yuna. The Al Bhed boat is in dock four. Let's go!"

All three of them set off with a pace quicker than Tidus could ever have imagined. He had never seen Lulu run and hadn't expected to see it either. He had never seen her so flustered. She looked well and truly worried. It was almost as though she was a mother looking after her child.

The beautiful town and stadium that had mesmerised Tidus only minutes ago no longer held any appeal to him. He didn't want to stop and admire the view when he knew that Yuna was in danger. She was the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment. It was almost as though his whole body was just running on autopilot.

The streets were had been bled dry of all life and didn't look all that exciting anymore, anyway. Silence was all that greeted Tidus' ears, creating a sense of eeriness. The Al Bhed Psyches had planned this well. There had been no one around to see them take Yuna and there was no one around to ask for help. Tidus began to wonder if they had started the rumour that Auron was in the café just to lure them out of the locker rooms. They were conniving…that was for sure.

Just as the docks came in to view, their pathway was blocked by crawling machines. What the hell was this? They looked like something that had come from outer space.

When they neared the trio, they stood up straight and Tidus could see them both brandishing a large knife that glinted in the heavy sunlight.

"Whoa, what are they?" Tidus questioned, unable to keep the wonder out of his voice. This was like nothing he had ever seen before. Although they were clearly threatening his life, he was interested by them.

"Ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed" Lulu explained with clear distaste in her voice. She wanted them gone immediately. "They are most vulnerable to lightning." As she said this, she raised her arm menacingly before bringing it down and descending an invisible display of magic upon the machina. It burst into flames right before his very eyes, crumbling to the floor before disintegrating and letting the fire burn and crackle out naturally.

A rancid smell of smoke and burning plastic emitted from the dead machina, making Tidus' nose shrivel as he recoiled away. He hoped he would never have to smell that again. Perhaps it would be better if Lulu didn't attack machina. The damage done was worse than anything he could imagine.

"I can handle this one" Tidus assured suavely, launching straight at the other wielding his sword high in the air. Just as he brought the sword slamming down, he felt a jolt of electricity stab through him. He felt weightless for a moment as though he was able to just take off and fly high into the air. As soon as the machina shattered beneath him, the feeling diminished, but the humming stayed in his ears and all around him. Whatever this machina thing was doing to him, he just hoped he would never have to fight anything like it again. At least it was over.

"Tidus, you're hurt" Lulu stated, hurrying over to his side. What was she talking about? When he looked down, he found blood oozing rapidly from his arm. The machina must have sliced him with the knife it had been wielding right before it died. He would never understand how he didn't notice it before. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline.

"I'm fine" He winced, although it was clearly a lie. He felt the familiar tingle of warmth that had come whenever Yuna had healed him. It was a lot weaker and ended quickly, leaving him with a less painful, but still niggling pain in his arm with blood seeping out still, although much slower.

"I dabble in white magic" Lulu explained once she took in his look of confusion. "I'm nothing compared to Yuna, but I know the basics. Black magic is my specialty. Even so, take this. Guardianship is a dangerous business. You never know how long I'll be around." She handed him a tiny glass vial with a bright blue liquid sloshing about inside.

"What is it?" Tidus asked in wonderment as the vial caught beams of sunlight and glistened beautifully.

"It's a mixture of different herbs infused together with powerful white magic" Lulu explained, although it meant nothing to Tidus. "Yuna often makes them, but it takes a lot of energy from her which is why we usually buy them from stores we find along the way. If we're in a particularly tight spot, Yuna can always lend a helping hand. They heal. Only use it when you have too, though."

"I will" Tidus promised, feeling almost invincible now that he had this potion to guard his life.

"We must go" Lulu ordered before setting off again with Tidus and Kimahri in tow.

After only a few steps they came across the sphere screen suspended in mid-air. They stopped for only a moment to see how Wakka was doing.

"The Aurochs are keeping the score tied with some excellent defence, folks." Bobba blared out in that annoying over-the-top excited tone of his. They were tied 2-2. Although Tidus had been hoping for better, he was glad that they weren't losing. A draw was better than an outright loss. He found himself wishing Wakka would pull it out of the bag and show them who was boss around here. They needed to pay for taking Yuna.

The game wasn't very action-packed. At the moment, it was just a few throws and passes here and there. The ball didn't go anywhere near the goal. As soon as the Aurochs started making progress, the Psyches would recover possession and vice versa. At this right, there probably wouldn't be another score. They needed to shock them. They needed the element of surprise. They needed the Jecht Shot.

"Ow! He'll feel that one in the morning" Bobba continued. Wakka had been tackled viciously and lost possession of the ball once more. He was floating aimlessly in the vat of water, his eyes losing focus as he clutched at his stomach with pain flooding through him. Those Psyches needed to be taught a lesson for what they were doing.

"But the referee doesn't call the foul. Wakka's taking a real beating out there" Jimma chipped in. Why wasn't anyone doing anything? Why were the Psyches getting away with it?

"Still in there" Tidus cheered on, almost as though Wakka could hear him. He was trying to get back in there. He wanted to play on. He could do it if only he had that potion Tidus had.

"He won't last" Lulu sighed knowingly. "Wakka's always like that." Was it so impossible for Lulu to ever have faith in people?

"Ouch" Tidus said as he cringed away. He would hate to be in Wakka's position right now. Pummelled by the Al Bhed Psyches who had taken the Summoner that he guards and his fellow colleague confessing she had no faith in him when he wasn't there to defend himself. No, he definitely wouldn't like to be in his position.

"Let's go" Lulu said with a voice that said she wasn't to be argued with.

It didn't take that much longer for them to reach the dock. Tidus had been expecting more than what he saw. He had expected armies of Al Bhed ready to attack them to keep them away from Yuna, but all he saw was an empty dock and no sign of them ever being there at all.

Only it wasn't empty. As Tidus searched, he found the boat pulling out of the dock, taking Yuna with it. If they were going to get her back, they had to act fast.

"Come on!" Lulu urged as she ran faster. She was going to jump. She most certainly was a risky person. It seemed there was nothing she wouldn't do for Yuna.

All three of them leaped at the same time and crashed down on the boat ungracefully just in time as the boat continued to slip further and further away from the dock. They had just made it. Another few moments and Yuna would have been gone.

As soon as they had gotten their bearings, a judder jolted them out of comfort once more. A machina similar to the ones Tidus had just fought came rising from the very heart of the ship. This one was much larger than the others. This one was much more deadly than the others. Tidus found himself glad that Lulu had given him that potion. He just hoped it would be enough to get him through this.

"Hey, we can use this crane" Tidus alerted the others as he moved to inspect it closer. It became apparent that getting close to the crane was the problem. The machina was almost impossible to get past. Every few seconds it sent a new attack hurling at them. It was a slow process trying to get this to work. "Come on! Move!" Tidus growled once he had finally gotten close. Before he had a chance to try again, a large metal claw came smashing down on him.

"It's probably out of power" Lulu suggested, as she cast a spell on the machina. It didn't seem as though anything was working with this thing. Even after countless hits, it still managed to come back fighting. "This could work" She cast a spell on the crane, giving it a jolt of electricity in a bid to awaken it. Although it didn't work the first time, Tidus had faith that Lulu would be able to figure it out.

It was almost as though the machina had figured out what they were trying to do and was thinking up ways to stop them. As soon as Tidus went to go get a hit in despite the jolt of electricity it poisoned him with, the metal claw caught him around the neck and tightened the grip. Pain flashed through Tidus like nothing he had ever felt before. He felt paralysed in the grip of this monster that was unrelenting. He tried desperately to claw out of it, but the pain in his arm from the slash of the knife stopped him from doing so. He wished that Lulu had been better when it came to white magic. If she had been, he could at least try and scratch his way out of this.

No matter how many times Lulu or Kimahri attacked, the grip never faltered. If anything it just got tighter and tighter until Tidus felt as though he couldn't breathe anymore.

It came to him then. Lulu just had to keep working on that crane. Tidus just had to wait a little longer. It'd be painful, but it had to happen.

"Keep working on the crane" Tidus managed to choke out.

Long moments passed, but eventually the crane sprang to life just as Tidus' vision began to blur and he began to grow woozy.

It raised high into the air and swung over to where the machina stood with Tidus held in deadlock. It lowered, grabbing the machina before rising once more. The shock caused the machina to drop Tidus roughly onto the floor where he crumbled in a heap.

Turning, he watched as the head was pulled off and the main body fell to the floor with a shudder. At least it was all over.

After the flames had diminished, a door in front of them slid open to show Yuna. She was safe!

"I hope you hurt them" Lulu sighed in relief as she checked over Yuna for any damage that may have been done to her. Seeing that she was okay, she let her go and smiled warmly.

"A little" Yuna chuckled and Tidus could see a sense of pride in her eyes. She had managed to look after herself without all that much help of her guardians. She had reserved the right of feeling proud of herself.

Now that he was sure that she was okay, Tidus took in the details of the ship. It was exactly like the one that he had been on back when Rikku had rescued him. Rikku was Al Bhed. Who was to say that this wasn't the same ship? He couldn't tell if he wanted it to be or not. At least if it was, he would know that Rikku was okay. He would know that she hadn't died during the assault Sin brought down on them. On the other hand, if it was this ship, he would know Rikku had been involved in trying to kidnap Yuna. That kind of thing was unforgivable.

"What is it?" Yuna asked as she regarded him carefully. It was amazing to know that she had just been through that terrifying ordeal, yet she was still concerned about others.

"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira" Tidus began to explain as his mind cast back to that dark, miserable night that had left him terrified and shaken up. "They took me on their ship. They even gave me food. I was kinda hoping that this was the same ship…but it's not. I wonder if they're all gone."

"What happened?" Yuna asked sadly. The idea of death was most certainly not a very fond one for her.

"Sin came up near us" Tidus explained. "I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship." It was the not knowing that was making this all harder for him to deal with. What if they were still out there and they were just injured? What if they were on the brink of death and all they needed was his help?

"Um…was there anyone called Cid on that ship?" Yuna asked hesitantly with clear worry in her eyes. This Cid guy was clearly someone important to her…someone who, if he died, Yuna would be very saddened about.

"I don't know" Tidus sighed. He wished he was able to help her. Seeing her this upset was rather hard for him. She didn't deserve that. "They were all speaking that Al Bhed language."

"I see" Yuna said glumly, hanging her head in a feeble effort to keep Tidus from seeing how miserable she was.

"So, who's Cid?" Tidus questioned as he leapt onto the rail, trying to make light of the situation. He seemed to have a special talent for things like that.

"He's my uncle" Yuna answered, holding her hand to her heart. "But I've never actually met him." Only Yuna could be so caring that she'd actually be heartbroken if someone she'd never met died.

"Mhm" Tidus nodded understandingly. At the end of the day, it was still her family. "Wait, so that means you're Al Bhed too, Yuna?"

"On my mother's side. Yes." She answered, although she didn't look too happy about it. "Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married, but she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help."

"You're worried he was…" Tidus trailed off, completely unable to say the next words for fear that he would upset Yuna more than she already seemed to be. If he did that, he didn't believe he could ever forgive himself.

"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage" Lulu warned with only venom in her eyes. If he did ever tell Wakka, Tidus had a feeling that it might well be the last thing he did. Lulu looked incredibly serious about all of this…as did Yuna. "The things about Wakka…he never had much love for the Al Bhed."

"Whoa" Tidus gasped as he launched off the metal bars of the ship as though Lulu had just cast a lightning spell on them. "I…I gotta tell Wakka."

"I thought I told you _not _to tell Wakka" Lulu hissed vehemently, looking almost ready to knock him into the middle of next week with her magic. Something told him that he wouldn't be getting another potion from her if he did that.

"The game" Yuna gasped, understanding what Tidus was talking about immediately. All of this chatter about Yuna's lineage had completely distracted Tidus. If he didn't get back there soon, they were sure to lose the tournament. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let the Luca Goers win again!

"Oh" Lulu gasped, catching on. Wakka had no idea that Yuna was safe. He was probably going out of his mind with worry over her. Lulu took a couple of steps forward and flung her arm high into the air. A ball of bright light went shooting higher and higher before exploding into a brilliant display of blue and silver fused together.

Back in the Blitzball stadium, Wakka saw the explosion and knew that Yuna was safe. With a new-found strength, he got back into action. At least he could make the Al Bhed Psyches pay for what they did.

"Thirty seconds left" Bobba called. "The Aurochs are launching an all-out offensive" Every player swam forward rapidly, their eyes on the goal. "A long pass from Letty. It goes through!" Wakka swam forward and dodged a tackle in a spectacular display of showmanship. "He shoots! OHHH! Unbelievable! The Aurochs win the match three to two." Now that they had won, Wakka doubled over in agony and gave into the pain that was thrashing his body.

The crowd went positively wild, screaming Wakka's name and hugging each other. The few fans who had come to support the Aurochs were no longer ashamed of their team. The Aurochs had pulled it out of the bag and the Luca Goers were in for a treat.

"We won!" Tidus cheered as he watched the game on the screen with the biggest grin on his face. He couldn't believe Wakka had actually managed it.

"We did it!" Yuna gasped, clearly just as shocked as Tidus. "We're in the finals!"

"Not the most…graceful win" Lulu commented with a shrug. "If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing." Did she always have to put Wakka down? He had done a brilliant job out there. He'd launched the Besaid Aurochs into the finals. Sure he got a little beaten up along the way, but what did that matter now?

"Hey!" Tidus scolded. "Aren't you being just a _little _unfair?"

"Excuse me?" Lulu hissed severely. She clearly didn't like being called out on her meanness. Even with her glare that seemed as though it could turn Tidus into stone, he continued on. After all, Wakka had been there for him when he needed him…he should at least try and return the favour.

"I know I could never take Chappu's place" He sighed. It seemed like this was going to be the same argument on repeat between them. "You're the one who told Wakka that. Right, Lulu? And I don't think Wakka would ever try to take Chappu's…"

"You don't want to finish that sentence" Lulu warned hotly, glaring at the ground as the magic within her veins bubble inside, threatening to explode much like it did whenever she was experiencing an emotion at a high level. It annoyed her that it was Tidus who had managed to push her that far over the edge.

No, he guessed she was right. He most certainly didn't want to finish that sentence…especially not when she was acting like that.

The walk back to the locker room didn't take all that long now that they weren't being slowed down by machina every five minutes.

Wakka was lying down on the bench, groaning in agony. Clearly the tackle must have been a lot worse than it looked. He was deathly pale, yet still managed to look happy because he had gotten in the finals. It didn't seem like he was going to be able to play, though. It didn't even look like he could stand.

"Sure you're all right, Cap'n?" Datto asked as he searched for anything around the room to ease the pain and the aching muscles, but there was nothing.

"The game starts in a few minutes" Letty said anxiously. He clearly thought it was all over. He had practically already given up on the success of the team. "You sure you're okay?"

"We're playing the Goers too" Jassu sighed, collapsing down onto the bench in a helpless heap. It seemed all of them had given up. What had happened to the charismatic team who had just destroyed the Al Bhed Psyches?

In a fate of rage over how bad his luck was lately, Wakka chucked the Blitzball by his side across the locker room. Why couldn't he have just held it together for just one more game? The cup could have been his. He could have gone out with a bang like he had wanted. To Wakka, that all seemed distant right now, but he couldn't give up just yet.

"Miss me?" Tidus asked, stopping the ball just as he opened the door to the locker room. He picked it up and threw the ball back to Datto in a cocky manner. As if by magic, all of their spirits lifted up. Tidus had been the guardian angel.

"Lady Yuna" Keepa exclaimed, torn between staying in his spot and throwing his arms around her in a friendly hug. He had been so worried about her.

"Are you okay?" Letty questioned, unable to believe his eyes despite the huge ball of light he had seen just twenty minutes ago when Lulu alerted them that she was safe.

"All this because of me" Yuna sighed apologetically. She hated people making a fuss over her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka asked, his distaste over that specific race coming through loud and clear. It irritated Tidus. After all, the Al Bhed had been nothing but helpful to him. Well, apart from stealing Yuna.

"Hey, let it go alright?" Tidus defended. Yuna had been through enough for one day. The last thing she needed was to come back to a group who could only chastise her for her own stupidity. Not that she had even been stupid, anyway. There was nothing she could do. She was outnumbered. Perhaps her guardians should have been more vigilant.

"Don't go near Al Bhed anymore, okay?" Wakka ordered. It seemed to be the only thing that would give him some peace of mind right now. "They're trouble."

Yuna gave a weak smile to humour Wakka. It was obvious that she hated hiding her lineage from him, but she didn't want to him to hate her. It was better this way.

Kimahri and Yuna left after wishing the team good luck and telling them that they were going to win for sure. It was nice to know someone had ultimate faith in you even if winning was the last thing on your mind.

"The game starts soon" Wakka grunted, wincing in pain as he tried to sit up on the bench. This didn't look good. "No time for warm-ups. Ready?"

"Lemme at 'em" Tidus said confidently with a cocky grin. He hoped some of his cheerfulness would pass on to the other players, but it didn't look like it was going to work.

"All right" Wakka growled, half in pain and half in determination as he pushed himself off the bench very awkwardly and tried to stand as straight as possible. "I got something to tell you boys."

Each member of the team stared at him with fear glinting in their eyes. His tone of voice told them all that whatever he was about to say, wasn't going to be good.

"After this game…I'm retiring" Wakka said regretfully. This was a big step for him. He had been part of this team for years. Blitzball was his life besides being a guardian. "I promised myself this would be my last tournament. Win or lose, I'm quitting Blitzball…but, you know, since we're here…we might as well win!"

That had been the speech that was needed in order to get the team all pumped up for the next game. They all wanted to do Wakka proud despite how aching they may be feeling. "Yeah!" They all shouted, throwing their fists into the air and acting like a proper Blitzball team again.

This happiness soon diminished as the players took time to notice their surroundings. Now that Tidus had returned, they were one player too many. Someone wasn't going to be able to play in the next match.

"A-am I on the bench?" Botta asked, looking as though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Now that he was fired back up, he wanted to get out there and show them what he was made of.

"I'm warming the bench" Wakka sighed as he strolled over to where Tidus stood and clapped him on the shoulders. "He's taking my place. Alright, boys. Let's win this one! Let's make the Goers goners!"

"Let's Blitz!" Tidus chipped in, seeing that the joke wasn't funny…no one was going to get fired up to that thing. The boys cheered once more and put their game faces on. This was the real deal this time. There was no turning back now. They had to win it this time. They just had to.

They hurried out, discussing tactics and planning what they would do when they won. Tidus felt bad for taking Wakka's place. He seemed so disheartened by it…but he couldn't quiet the voice in his mind telling him that he should be glad that it was now his time to shine.

"I saw you floating there on the sphere" Lulu sighed as she sauntered towards Wakka slowly once the boys had left the locker room.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that" Wakka grumbled, ashamed that his manly guard had slipped when Lulu was there to see it. He couldn't explain why, but he always felt this urge to try and impress her…perhaps it was because he wanted to be better than Chappu.

He teetered over, falling heavily into the arms of Lulu. He wasn't fully unconscious, but his eyes wouldn't focus and he could barely take anything in. Lulu locked her arms around him tightly and gave a sigh as she thought about what she had said about how Chappu would still be standing.

Wakka had done a good job. He should be proud. She began to wonder if Chappu could have actually lasted as long as Wakka did.

"You really…give it your all" Lulu whispered in his ear, taking comfort in his arms draped over her shoulders. "Didn't you?"

Outside, the scene was much different. Tidus was giving a pep talk to the scatty Besaid Aurochs. All of them just wanted to get out there and who Luca what they were made of.

"All right, boys" Tidus said loudly. "What are we gonna do?"

"WIN!" They all shouted, breathing heavily as the adrenaline took over.

"For Cap'n Wakka" Datto added with a fond smile.

Back in the locker room, Wakka and Lulu watched the screen as the match began.

"This is it folks" Bobba shouted over through the megaphone. "In just a few minutes, the championship game! But who could have imagined a championship game between these two teams? Our legendary Luca Goers going against the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!"

"This looks like history in the making, Bobba" Jimma commented.

The crowd were incessantly cheering. A lot of the previous Luca Goers supporters were now cheering for the Besaid Aurochs purely for the amazing match that Wakka played.

Not everyone was as enthralled by what was going on. Strolling up the steps was a man with half his face covered and wearing a glare. He brandished a huge sword that looked ready to slice at anything that came at him. He wore sleek sunglasses, only adding to the mystery and his arm hung limply by his side. He was not the sort of man you wanted to pass in an alleyway late at night.

Inside the giant sphere of water, the two teams met in the middle. Most were filled with menacing stares, trying to inset as much fear as possible into the opposing team.

Weirdly, Bickson offered his hand to Tidus. Was this supposed to be a sign of respect? Surely not. Bickson hated Tidus. Even so, if he was to refuse the handshake, he would look like the bad guy in this situation.

As soon as Tidus went to receive the handshake, Bickson took a swing savagely at him. He backed away hastily, shooting Bickson a glare as he silently declared war in his head.

"They're already going at it, folks" Bobba commentated. "The Goers are taunting the Aurochs."

The buzzer went off and everything sprang into action. The Blitzball players moved like fish washed up on sand. The Blitzball spun rapidly as it fell back to the bottom of the sphere pool.

Letty was the first one to get his hand on the ball. He held it close to him like it was his child as he began to swim straight for the goal like they had discussed right before the match. For a while, it seemed as though the path was going to stay clear before Bickson and his teammate blocked his way.

Bickson went to tackle him viciously, his eyes making it obvious that he didn't care about the rules in this game. Not after how humiliated he had felt after he found out that he was going to be playing against the Besaid Aurochs in the final. He was out for blood this team.

Unfortunately for him, Letty swerved out of the way before he could do any damage. This clumsy move left the path wide open for Letty to continue his journey to the goal.

With a speed that no one knew Bickson possessed, he was back on Letty and he wasn't about to let the ball get away for a second time in under just a few seconds. He pounded against Letty with an evil wrath that should have called for foul, but it seemed the referee had a particular dislike for the Aurochs. They weren't going to get treated well during this game.

Before any of the other Aurochs could get to Letty to help him out, he had surrendered his hold on the ball and Graav had snatched it away before Letty could make an attempt to retrieve it.

Graav was a faster swimmer than any of the Blitzer's could believe. He seemed to rocket through the water as though it wasn't even there. Before any of them had even had a chance to blink, he was right in front of the goal and readying himself to take the shot.

With brute force, he threw the ball with the intent of it smashing straight into the goal. For a moment, it looked like it was going to go in, but it clanked off the goal post before hurtling back. Tidus could relax ever so slightly once more as Botta clutched the ball and went swimming back towards the goal.

When he saw the opposition up ahead, he balked and knew he couldn't handle it. As discussed, he made a pass to Tidus who caught the ball with ease in his gloved hands. It felt right. His hands fit perfectly around the ball and his legs cut through the water with ease.

It was exactly like it had been in Zanarkand. He was on fire, the crowd were cheering for him and he knew exactly what he was going to do to ensure a win. He just hoped Sin wouldn't show up to ruin things for him again. He had to finish this game. He had to get the win for Wakka.

The Jecht Shot was the only thing that could guarantee a win for the Besaid Aurochs. The Luca Goers had defence that was too good to break through. He might as well use the only weapon he has before the Luca Goers beat them to it. At least there were only a handful of people who knew about the Jecht Shot. It would shock the Goers…hopefully enough to stop them from being able to play properly for the last ten minutes.

He performed the magnificent Jecht Shot with grace. It was amusing to watch the Goers' jaws drop as they watched it. It was even more amusing to watch them scatter as the ball went skidding through the water with force that could kill.

It launched straight into the net and the bell rang loudly.

The crowd went absolutely insane. Every spectator launched into the air and made a loud noise of some kind…cheers and jeers alike. You either loved or hated the Besaid Aurochs. There was no one in the crowd who was in between.

The rest of the match showed to be no problem. It was impossible for the Besaid Aurochs to get in another goal because the Luca Goers had upped their defence even more. The fear in their eyes was apparent.

The Luca Goers couldn't get a goal in either. Their defence may be excellent, but so was the Besaid Aurochs'. So, the ball just stayed going back and forth.

"The fans are getting impatient. They're calling for some action" Bobba shouted, sounding rather impatient himself. "The Aurochs spirits are fading quickly." That was a lie. They were very spirited. Hell, they were winning. "Are they going down without a fight?"

Tidus could hear the fans chanting loudly with angry looks on their faces. What on Earth were they saying? He thought he could hear Wakka's name being screamed over and over, but surely that couldn't be true, could it? Well, they had loved him as soon as they saw the amazing game he had managed to pull off. Perhaps they could want Wakka in the sphere more than him.

"Everyone seems to be calling for Wakka, folks" Bobba said, confirming Tidus' suspicions. They did want Wakka more than him. How could the star player of the Zanarkand Abes be forgotten so fast?

Well, Tidus knew how to admit defeat when he had to. If they wanted Wakka, they could have him. Slowly, he swam to the exit of the sphere, feeling rather annoyed when he heard cheers at him leaving. Did they really hate him that much? Perhaps they just loved Wakka _too _much.

"Say! Where is that player going?" Bobba asked. Well, did he really expect him to stick around when the crowd clearly didn't want him there? "He's leaving the sphere pool. He may be injured."

_To be honest, I did kinda feel left out, but it really was the Aurochs' and Wakka's show after all._

"I wonder what's happening" Bobba thought to himself. "The crowd is going wild! Ah, it's Wakka. He's back on the field and ready to go." Wakka swam quickly over to where his team were. Even they looked happier to see him. "The Aurochs seem glad to have him back."

The game continued on, although it was hopeless for the Luca Goers. Wakka picked up the pace where Tidus had failed to. He managed to lead the team into breaking through the Goers' defence. From there, the game was history. Wakka somehow managed to pull it out of the bag and score two more goals right before the whistle sounded loudly, signalling the end of the game.

As soon as the game had ended, the crowd jumped up in loud screams. Even those who hadn't like the Besaid Aurochs were rather pleased to see them win after how many times they had lost in the past. No matter how much some people may hate them, they couldn't deny that it was a well-deserved victory.

Tidus swam out to meet them, celebrate and also help them cart Wakka off who was still injured and in still in a lot of pain. No one could keep the wide grins off their faces.

The celebrations didn't last long. Loud screams engulfed them as people ran away from the stadium. When Tidus looked to see what all the commotion was about, he found himself face to face with what looked like a cross between a green fish and a lime frog. Whatever it was, it was threatening his life.

He pulled his faithful sword closer to him and readied himself to take a swim. It was harder to fight underwater. The sword didn't glide quite as smoothly as he would have liked it to. It still did some damage, though. Before Wakka could actively help, Tidus took a few hits himself.

The pain that flashed through him was almost unbearable as the monster cut him deeply. Blood gushed freely from his leg to the point where the water was clouded a deep crimson red.

The potion. That was what he needed right now. He couldn't see any other way of getting out of this and the pain in his leg was just too unbearable. He took out the small vial and poured the blue liquid on the gash. The warm feeling filled him once more, but it wasn't like it was whenever Yuna healed him. It wasn't as intoxicating. He imagined that it was just because the magic had been contained in the vial. It must have lost some of its lustre or something like that along the way.

The pain in his leg ceased immediately and he was able to go on fighting. They had managed to clear a path that led straight to the exit. Tidus swam as fast as he could whilst dragging Wakka after him, trying to ignore the frogs gnashing at his ankles.

As soon as all of this was over, he was going to have a serious talking to the man who organised all of this and demand that he improve the security around Luca. This shouldn't have happened.

"What's happening?" Lulu asked frantically once she saw the carnage unfolding before her.

There was only one man who had managed to stay calm throughout all of this. Yes, it was the same man who hadn't been bothered by the Blitzball match. He now had his sword out and ready to use just in case anything should come after him.

"Auron?" Tidus questioned in disbelief once he had finally managed to make his way back to the stands.

"Sir Auron" Wakka greeted in shock, respect and awe dripping from his voice.

"So, you do know him?" Tidus asked, ecstatic that there was another link between Spira and his own world. Perhaps he would find a way to get back home soon.

"Yeah" Wakka nodded in assent. "Best guardian there ever was."

Seymour watched as the horrific events unfolded below him. He had to put a stop to this somehow. He couldn't just be seen watching as people died. That would give him a bad name. As Maester, he had to do something.

A powerful beam of light jolted everything around him as he summoned. Dropping from a chain came the almighty Anima that gave a loud screech as it fixed its stone eyes on the beast in front of it. The constricted by thick metal chains created some sort of powerful force-field around itself that extended miles and miles out in order to protect all the people of Luca. This stopped the fiends getting close and drove them further and further away until Luca became relatively calm once more.

Despite the fact that Luca was safe now, no one wanted to be anywhere near the stadium. Not after what they had just witnessed.

The guardians and the Summoner also felt a little uneasy about being here. They had experienced enough risks for one day. They returned to the epicentre of Luca which was where most people seemed to be headed. Small spaces…they wanted protection. For once, people wanted to feel like they were closed in.

"You really leaving, Cap'n?" Datto asked, hoping that their spectacular victory had changed his mind.

"Shouldn't you heal up first?" Jassu asked, clearly worried about the man who had been training him for all these years.

"Yuna needs me with her now" Wakka said defiantly. "I can't be lying around in some bed."

"Yeah, but…" Datto began, but Wakka cut him off.

"C'mon, look sharp!" Wakka cheered. "The Blitz season just started! Don't make those faces, ya?"

The team just watched him, unable to believe that this was well and truly the end.

"Well, see ya, boys" Wakka sighed as he handed Datto the Blitzball before stalking away with Lulu, Kimahri, Yuna and Tidus. "You be good" He shouted over his shoulder. This was harder than he thought it would have been.

"Cap'n" They mumbled, although their heart wasn't in it.

"I can't hear you!" Wakka called back.

"Cap'n" They roared back and that was when Wakka finally felt like he could leave his team behind.

"Are you sure?" Yuna asked once they had left the team behind. She felt more than guilty about tearing him away from Blitzball. She just wished there was some other way that Wakka could do both.

"Never liked long goodbyes, anyway" Wakka waved off casually, although everyone else could tell it was a front. He was missing those guys already. "Sorry for making you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya? From now on, I'm your full-time guardian!"

"Then welcome back, Sir Wakka. Good to have you with us" Yuna said earnestly as she gave a respectful bow.

"Hey, it's good to be back, ya" Wakka proclaimed, giving a little bow of his own. "So, any news on what happened?" He directed to Lulu.

"Not really" Lulu shrugged with a hopeless sigh. She seemed to always be one to want answers. "We don't know where the fiends came from. Maester Mika is safe and sound thanks to Maester Seymour. That's about it."

"Maester Seymour's aeon" Yuna gasped in admiration and awe. "It was so powerful." By the tone of her voice, Tidus was guessing that Yuna wanted one just like that.

The group dispersed, sorted out any separate business they may have with Luca and generally said goodbye to people.

Tidus, on the other hand, looked for Auron…and when he found him, he was incredibly mad.

"Hey, you!" He growled, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him into a stack of crates. Auron gave nothing away. He didn't looked shocked or even angry. He just took it all in his side which only angered Tidus more. "Don't just stand there! All of this is your fault! Getting swallowed by Sin, ending up here in Spira, not being able to go back to Zanarkand, everything! Everything! I'm telling you, it's all your fault!"

The smirk and laugh he got from Auron enraged him and almost sent him into another rant before pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

"Who are you anyway?" He asked. "You knew my old man, didn't you?"

"Yeah" Auron replied, the laughter dying on his lips. He didn't like it when it all became about him. He preferred the spotlight to be on Tidus.

"And you also knew Yuna's father?" Tidus continued, half hoping the answer would be no.

"That's correct" Auron answered. It seemed Tidus just isn't that lucky. At least Auron was giving him straight answers and being honest for once.

"Hey man, there's no way" Tidus refused. It just couldn't be true. "That's just impossible."

"Nothing impossible about it" Auron retorted. "Jecht, Braska and I…together we defeated Sin ten years ago. Then I went to Zanarkand, where I watched over you, so that one day, I could bring you to Spira."

"Why did it have to be me?" Tidus asked as he wondered why he was always the one to have all the bad luck. Out of everyone in the world, he was the one who had to get dragged to Spira.

"Jecht asked me to" Auron said simply.

Tidus stopped pacing and wondered what this could mean. Tidus hadn't been in Spira that long. Perhaps his old man was still alive and had just been living here all this time. "Is he alive?" He asked, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.

"It depends on what you mean by 'alive'" Auron answered evasively.

The Blitzer simply stared at him with absolute confusion glinting in his eyes.

"He is…no longer human" Auron explained. "But then…I felt something of Jecht there in that shell, couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came in contact with Sin."

Tidus couldn't believe what he was hearing. The very thought of it was enough to turn Tidus woozy and light-headed. He felt sick to the stomach at the thought of what he had spawned from. How could it be that the thing Yuna was fighting so desperately to get rid of was his old man? He had always told his mother that Jecht was a monster. It seemed he was most certainly right.

"It can't be" Tidus denied. This was just too much for him to deal with right now. He wasn't ready to hear this.

"It is" Auron argued. "Sin is Jecht." Hearing it said like that made Tidus want to kill. It angered him so much, he could feel it boiling in his veins…threatening to set him alight.

"NO! That's ridiculous! No way! I don't believe you!" Tidus shouted as he clenched his eyes shut and balled his fists up.

"But it is the truth" Auron reminded, pressing on with this torture. "You'll see for yourself. Come with me."

"If I say no?" Tidus asked, wishing this could all just go away…wishing he had never even been born at this moment.

"Every story must have an ending" Was the only answer that Auron offered.

"I don't care about your stories!" Tidus hissed. Couldn't anything in his life just be real for once? This was killing him.

"I see. Sorry you feel that way" Auron said in a tone that was oozing with hostility. He had always known Tidus was a piece of work. "Fine then. Come or don't come…it's your decision."

All because he knew Auron was right, he let out a strangled cry before screaming right in his face, "What am I supposed to say? You tell me it's my decision, but I don't have a choice, do I? You're the only one who can tell me what's going on, anyway. I have to go with you! I have to!"

"Irritating" Auron noted. "I know. Or are you afraid? It's all right" Auron sighed when he saw how emotional Tidus was getting. He appreciated this was difficult, but they really had to get a move on.

"Auron, will I ever go home?" Tidus asked. It was the question he had been most scared to ask for fear of what the answer may be. "Back to Zanarkand."

"That's up to Jecht" Auron answered. "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."

Tidus trailed behind Auron as they walked back to where the rest of the group was. He just wanted to be alone. He had no thoughts. His mind was swimming was so many different things to think about that he couldn't pick just one. He just needed some time to relax.

"Do you think he's gonna stay here?" Wakka asked Yuna back at the Luca balcony.

"Sir Auron knows him apparently" Lulu said, trying her best to come up with a logical conclusion. "You were right. He did meet someone he knew."

"Do you think he'll find a way back to Zanarkand?" Yuna asked. It was the million dollar question.

"In any case, I'll miss having him around" Wakka sighed sadly. Tidus had become just like a little brother to him. It would be weird not having him here.

"He's still in town, isn't he?" Yuna asked, praying he hadn't left. "I think I'll go see him." At that moment, Auron and Tidus made an appearance once more, piquing the interest of Yuna, Wakka and Lulu.

"Whoa" Wakka gasped.

"Sir Auron" Yuna greeted with a wide smile. Each of them gave the prayer in respect for the ex-guardian in front of them. Tidus supressed the urge to scoff at how ridiculous they were acting.

"Yuna?" Auron began.

"Sir" She acknowledged with a nod of her head.

"I wish to become your guardian, do you accept" Auron asked. Well, he had always been blunt.

"You're serious?" Wakka asked in absolute shock.

"You refuse?" Auron asked in a rather polite tone.

"No, no!" Yuna gasped. "We accept. Right, everyone?" Tidus was beginning to lose interest.

"Of course!" Wakka jumped in helpfully. "No problem at all."

"But, why?" Lulu asked, unable to understand why someone as powerful as Auron would want to join them.

"I promised Braska" Auron explained.

At the mention of her father, Yuna turned humble. "You promised…my father?" She questioned. "Thank you, Sir Auron. You're welcome to join us."

"And he comes too" Auron added, pulling Tidus in front of him as though he was a young child behaving badly.

"Hi guys, uh…howdy" Tidus said awkwardly as he bowed. Well, everyone else seemed to be doing it lately.

"This one I promised Jecht" Auron explained as though it was the last thing he wanted to do. Was being around Tidus really that bad?

"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna asked curiously as hope filled her face. It pained Tidus to watch. No, Jecht was a traitor. Jecht was an awful monster.

"Can't say…haven't seen him in ten years" Auron lied. It sounded like it had been well-rehearsed. Well, at least Tidus wasn't the one who had to do the lying.

"I…see" Yuna sighed sadly.

"You'll meet eventually" Auron comforted. Tidus could feel the anger bubbling up once more.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it" Yuna smiled, recovering her happy smile once more.

"What's our itinerary?" Auron asked, getting straight to business. "Where are we headed?"

"Hey, come with me" Yuna said to Tidus, allowing the guardians to talk business. She led him to the edge of the railing and leaned over to watch Luca. "Hey, watch" She chuckled before putting her fingers in her mouth and whistling loudly. That would have pleased Tidus, but it seemed like nothing was ever going to make him happy again.

"Hey, you got pretty good" He responded with a weak voice.

"You sound sad" Yuna observed.

"Yeah, maybe" Was all he said. It was all he had the heart to say right now.

"Wanna scream" She joked, but it didn't have to desired effect of making him laugh.

"I really don't think that's gonna help this time" He said miserably.

"You know what?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"It's embarrassing to say this myself, but Summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light" Yuna proclaimed. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, y'know. I know it's hard."

"Yeah…I understand…I think" Tidus mumbled.

"Right, now let's see what you can do" She smiled.

"Huh?" He asked as his eyes bugged out. He hoped she didn't mean what he thought she meant.

"C'mon" She encouraged as she tried to hold back a chuckle.

He knew there was no use in fighting it, so he bared his teeth the best he could in an effort to smile, but even he could feel how forced it was. "This is weird" He chuckled.

"Next try laughing out loud" Yuna ordered.

"What?" He balked. That was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"C'mon, show me" She begged. How could he say no to that?

He turned away from her and let out a hearty laugh that flooded everything. He continued, ignoring the awkward stares of everyone else.

"You probably shouldn't laugh anymore" Yuna advised.

He didn't listen. He wanted to keep laughing. After all, it was the only thing that was keeping him from screaming. Before he knew it, Yuna was joining in too. At least they could both look like idiots together. They both fell into a fit of giggles, the first real laugh Tidus had experienced in a long while.

"Too funny" Yuna giggled.

"It was your idea" Tidus reminded in between laughs.

"Um, thank you" Yuna managed to get out once she had stopped laughing. Tidus shot her a look of confusion. "I want my journey to be full of laughter."

After everything she had done for him, he was sure he could manage this small favour for her. "Okay." He promised.

"If we should get separated, just whistle" Yuna reminded with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'll come running, I promise."

Tidus nodded, unable to say anything to that. Words weren't needed right now. Just being with each other was enough.

"Well, let's go" Tidus said, feeling as though he had a new lease on life. They walked back to the others, only to receive weird looks. "What are you looking at?"

"We were just worried you guys might've gone crazy" Wakka joked.

"Sorry" Yuna grinned happily "Well then, we shall go to the temple in Djose and guardians? Don't forget to smile."

As he walked up the steps along with the others, Tidus felt as though things were going to be okay for a little while. Sure he was going to have to face facts sooner or later but, for now, he just wanted some time to just be. He wanted some time to ignore his problems. He could return to them later.

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_**Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, guys! Feedback's appreciated.**_

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_**Baby You're My Immortal**_


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